


a season of change

by lost_stickie_note



Category: FFC-Acrush (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV), 青春有你2, 青春有你2 | Youth With You 2 (TV)
Genre: #stickieallover, Angst, But really Porn with Plot, Cunnilingus, F/F, First Love, First time writing flowery smut, Glove fucking, I'd like to think there's a semblance of a plot, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just an excuse to write gratuitous smut, Lemon, Maybe a touch of dacryphilia, Mentions of Cai Xukun, Mentions of Lin Fan, Mostly Yuxin servicing, One Shot, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Smut, Unhappy Ending, Vaginal Fingering, plotty smut, princess!Keran, servant!Yuxin, they fuck everywhere, thigh riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:33:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_stickie_note/pseuds/lost_stickie_note
Summary: In which Yuxin falls in love with a princess though it's no fairytale.
Relationships: Liu Yuxin/Lu Keran
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45





	a season of change

**Author's Note:**

> Ooof, obnoxiously long a/n per usual, apologies in advance.
> 
> tags: Obvi smut warning, nothing _too_ filthy though. And the fic has implied character death, BUT THERE IS NOTHING GRAPHIC THAT WOULD PUT PEOPLE OFF, I PROMISE.
> 
> [nervous laughter] First time in a long time that I'm writing f/f smut again, so a bit nerve wracking. Tried my best with the setting and descriptions, but I admit that I didn't do as much in-depth research as perhaps I would have liked, so bear with me if I got anything too far out of left field for this vaguely (!!) Victorian (?) era fic. And I definitely didn't expect it to turn out this long, but here we are. I love the both Yuxin and Keran to pieces, and I just had to throw in some side!Lin Fan, but eeeek, I'm regretful that I couldn't have made her a bigger feature as I love her too. ;-; OH, and considering writing this one smut scene as an offshoot because I didn't include it here as it was a bit more filthy compared to the rest.
> 
> We are also running a fic fest for IPD/QCYN/QCYN2, and the Twitter with more info can be found: [here](https://twitter.com/cloud9ficfest). Please consider sending in prompts with ideas you'd like to see!
> 
> Might still have mistakes in it, ooof. Otherwise, enjoy, and thank you for reading!
> 
> All the hugs for my beta reader, who suffered through this with me, and is the bestest for putting up with my nonsense. ♡♡♡

Yuxin is just on the cusp of 19 years when she arrives at the palace, nothing but a half-filled suitcase with every belonging to her name thrown inside in a bundle, the clasp on the outside half broken, sometimes working sometimes not. And she's just glad to finally have a roof over her head for the night, the travel taking about a fortnight, with persistent rain for at least a week's worth of it. It's late, and she's wet, sopping puddles into the floor, and there's no time to meet the princess at the hour, a household servant ushering her into a warm bath and a few spoonfuls of leftover porridge. She is not expected until the next morning, but it is then that Yuxin meets the princess.

She is taller and skinnier than Yuxin had imagined.

It is a hot and blaring summer, and Yuxin is scared out of her wits when she receives her first task, the shears thrust into her hands, the princess looking at her expectantly in the mirror, head tilted, nose pert. "I want it all off." She doesn't have the heart to tell the princess that she's never even cut her own hair, nevertheless someone else's, and the shears might as well be a piping hot poker wielded in her hands from the way she is snipping. But off it comes, and Yuxin holds her breath as she hands the princess a handheld mirror, letting her see herself from every which way. The pause is long, drawn-out, and Yuxin considers how upset her mother will be if she returns after barely a week into her stay - one that she had only been granted by virtue of her mother giving up a third of the coin they had saved over the past half year to a connection in the palace.

"Do I look cute?" The pout puckers the princess' lips, blowing out her cheeks into bright baubles, and Yuxin doesn't know how to tell her that perhaps the ends are a bit too raggedy.

"Yes, very cute." And she finds that it's true, her fingers running through the ends, soft though uneven. The princess shakes her head, and her hair swirls around her head in a frenzy.

"I like it." But the pout doesn't leave her face for the rest of the afternoon.

It stays with her throughout the night, and in perhaps a stroke of solidarity or madness, she cuts off all her locks the next day too, carefully snipping as best she can in front of the mirror, cursing when she nicks herself with the scissors once or twice. She does it early in the morning, before even the dogs have woken up, and it feels like a worthful endeavor when she sees the princess' face light up. At least until she realizes that the princess is shaking with mirth, holding out her hand for the scissors, evening out the spots that Yuxin had missed, her face flushing a bright red the entire time. The princess is gentle though, only lightly tugging at her hair.

The princess is named Keran.

Yuxin spends her first week learning that a princess does much of nothing besides waking up in the morning, getting dressed, having a few lessons from a cranky old tutor, perhaps having tea in the afternoon, and maybe playing music. Not to mention, Yuxin’s disappointment at getting rapped over the knuckles each time she doesn't complete a task up to par, often getting sidetracked or lost while making her way from room to room (god, so many rooms), or not finishing quickly enough. She learns that Keran is _shy_ , not one to speak unless spoken to, not often sharing any words when guests do come, leaving others to carry the conversation, letting it wash over her instead. But whenever Keran does speak, they are words worth hearing. Yuxin learns that princesses need to wear far too much clothing, the weight of Keran's daily outfit far outweighing all the clothing she owns combined, and at first, it takes Yuxin too long to get Keran dressed. She keeps the guilt to herself, as when she is slow, it means she must wake up earlier, which means Keran must wake up earlier also. But Keran doesn't complain even as she needs to wait hours for Yuxin to properly dress her up like a doll, keeping still and quiet. She also learns that Keran likes potatoes but can’t cook them to save her life, hates butterflies, anything that flies really, and will give up anything to convince Yuxin to sneak in snacks for her lessons under her skirts. Yuxin says anything, but really, Keran only needs to bat her eyes.

"Princess." Keran always gives her a slight nod when Yuxin addresses her, a small acknowledgment that she hates to admit inflates her ego, makes her puff out her chest. It's not every day that a princess will choose to spare even a glance at someone like her.

It is only after a month that Yuxin discovers what she knows is only partially true.

The messenger hands Keran the mail, two or three envelopes worth, and Yuxin follows as Keran returns to her quarters. Yuxin has taken to following the princess around everywhere, being as she had somehow fallen into the role of jack-of-all-trades, helping Keran with whatever she desires throughout the day. Keran sits, setting two of the letters aside, flipping the last one over, the waxy red seal a bright contrast against the creamy white of the paper. "Yuxin, the letter opener." She hands it to Keran and waits as the princess reads, her hair, getting long again in the front and back, falling over her eyes as she does, and Yuxin is reminded that she should help Keran cut it short again. The thought briefly crosses her mind, but she holds her tongue, not sure what to make of it. But Keran senses it - somehow the princess always knows when she's hesitating, Yuxin has yet to figure out how - and the low hum from the princess has her clearing her throat. "What is it, Yuxin? Speak."

Hesitant. "The messenger. He didn't address you properly, Princess." She licks her lip, mouth dry, not wanting to add that he had also been giving her an impertinent look, not one befitting of someone of his status, especially not to the princess.

"It's because he doesn't believe I am a real princess."

"What do you mean?"

"Because I am a bastard child."

"But you live in a _palace_."

Keran's gaze pins her to the floor, her mouth curved into a simple sad crescent. "Everywhere feels like a palace until you have seen bigger and grander rooms."

Yuxin feels painfully stupid as everything clicks into place - why there is only a staff of no more than fifteen, why visitors are far and in-between, why perhaps, she is one of the few people that addresses Keran as 'Princess'. She begins to notice more of the little things the longer she stays, the sometimes looks of derision from the people that come and go, and once it is so blatantly outright, the man so disrespectful that Yuxin is absolutely _sure_ Keran will say something, address it, do _something_. But she just stands there, expression unchanging, prim and proper, giving the man a respectful nod as he leaves, one that Yuxin doesn’t think he deserves. It’s so infuriating that she has a moment of insanity and nearly grabs the man by his coattails, intent on teaching him a proper lesson. But Keran’s laugh wards off her insolence, the princess turning away with a smile. “Let’s go take a walk outside. Shall we, Yuxin?”

Yuxin trails behind the princess as she meanders, picking flowers from the ground that catch her eye, a bouquet of wildflowers, snapping their stems neatly to pull them up. “Hmmm, these will look quite lovely on the kitchen table, won’t they?” She doesn’t even catch the question, too busy simmering in her anger, kicking at the well-worn edges of the dirt path, deriving immense satisfaction from the little droves of pebble that scatter under her toe. “Yuxin? Are you angry?” Keran has stopped, and Yuxin almost crashes into the princess’ back, stopping short so quickly that she nearly loses her balance.

It’s been months, and Yuxin now knows there is no point in trying to hide anything from Keran, not even the thinnest wisp of regret, anger, sadness, the princess able to snatch her feelings out of the air as if her fingers are following thin invisible threads that lead back to her. She scowls, narrowing her eyes. “He went too far and should know his place.”

Yuxin feels herself blushing, Keran’s laughter like the ringing of bells at Christmas, the princess’ fingers ruffling her hair, running through the still-shortened strands a few times. “Yuxin, you are too kind, too sweet to me.” Keran pauses. “You should find no need to protect me – if anything, I should be the one protecting you. Afterall, you are a member of my household.”

“As you wish, Princess.” Yuxin feels all the air come out of her lungs as Keran suddenly takes both of her hands, wrapping them in hers. While Yuxin’s hands are hot and sweaty in the heat, Keran’s are cool to the touch, and Keran hands her the flowers that have been chosen thus far. “You must never stick your neck out just to come to my defense, Yuxin.”

“But, Princess-“

“Promise me.” Keran is insistent, her face drawn into a fierce expression, the spots of pink appearing in her cheeks from effort.

Yuxin hangs her head, her hair flopping into her face, hiding the princess’ visage, and she can’t help but feel that she’s somehow done something wrong, though she’s not quite sure what. “I promise.”

“Good.” Keran’s cheerful tone returns, and Yuxin lifts her head up to see the princess smiling at her, one of those rare wide ones so that Yuxin can see the side where her teeth are not quite perfectly aligned, the offset giving her an almost childlike appearance. Yuxin knows that Keran tries not to open her mouth too widely in front of company due to it, but on the few occasions that she has caught a glimpse, Yuxin is enamored. “Now let’s get back, hmm? I believe your hair has grown out longer, but not quite as unruly has mine has. How about you help me trim it when we get back.”

Yuxin nods and gratefully takes the opportunity when Keran offers it, linking their arms together for the walk back to the palace.

It’s near the end of summer, just when the seasons are beginning to change, the heat dying off and the winds picking up, that Keran falls ill. Yuxin has taken care of sick people before, her brother for one, but she still can’t help the worry the seeps into her whenever she sees the princess. Keran is far too whip thin already, and Yuxin notices for the first time how small Keran looks in the bed, the expanse of sheets that seemingly swallow her up. The first day, Keran is just tired, not wanting to work on any of her studies in the afternoon like she often does, but by the second night, the princess has worked herself into a fever, Keran’s forehead feeling hot against the back of her hand.

Yuxin spends the entire night fretting by the princess’ bed, a stool pulled up to the side, making sure to brush away the hair stuck to Keran’s forehead, pressing warm compresses, hand towels soaked in warm water to her skin, wiping away the sweat from Keran’s neck. Even in the darkness dimly lit by candlelight, Yuxin can tell that Keran’s cheeks are flushed with fever, far more red than normal, and the princess wakes up a few times throughout the night, whispering for her, her name pretty and throaty from Keran’s mouth, but eyes glassy and bright. She whispers soothing words, reassuring the princess that she is still there, tucking the covers back under Keran’s chin each time, making sure her arms are underneath the sheets, only her head poking out. Yuxin ends up falling asleep right there, her head tucked in her arms, waking up feeling uncomfortable the next morning, her back aching from her upper body leaning over to fall on the princess’ bed, her legs bent in an odd position that makes her muscles scream at her in resentment when she stands up.

Keran feels less warm to the touch by the sixth morning, and Yuxin spends the day taking care of her again, sitting her up in bed, fluffing her pillows for her comfort. Yuxin considers it a win when the princess manages to keep down a few bites of porridge, Yuxin carefully blowing on each spoonful to cool it, after not having swallowed much of anything besides water in the few days or so. She’s in high spirits during the day, the princess’ fever coming down enough that Yuxin feels better about leaving Keran’s side at night, but they quickly take a tumble when she’s awoken in the middle of the night, the sound of Keran ringing the bell loud even from her quarters.

“Yuxin, give me a hand?” Yuxin is alarmed as Keran reaches to throw off all her covers, attempting to swing her legs to the side of the bed to get up, holding out a hand for Yuxin to take. The princess is already standing before Yuxin realizes, two wobbly steps before she acts without thinking, arm sweeping under the hollows of Keran’s knees, other arm against her back, lifting the princess into a bridal-style carry and setting her back down in bed gently. It doesn’t escape her notice that Keran doesn’t feel heavy enough in her arms, and her chest tightens painfully. “What do you need, Princess? I will go fetch it for you.”

“Just some water.” Keran coughs, and it trembles throughout her whole body to Yuxin’s chagrin. She makes sure the princess takes a few sips before she leaves, throwing the covers back over Keran neatly, tucking her in and smoothing the hair off her forehead as Keran murmurs a sleepy ‘thank you’ before closing her eyes again.

It isn’t until Yuxin returns to her room and is lying on her bed that she allows herself to think about the princess – lying there on her sheets in her thin shift, cheeks flushed pink, the feverish sweat making the material cling to her skin, dampened enough that Yuxin can make out the princess’ dusky nipples underneath, dark and pebbled, Keran’s chest rising and falling quickly with quick, short breaths, the smooth skin of the princess’ inner thighs showing, her shift hiked up nearly to her hips as Yuxin had placed her haphazardly back into bed, the smallest glimpse of Keran’s simple white cotton underwear, edged with lace against her skin. She tries to pretend that she isn’t thinking of the princess, how it would feel to press her lips into Keran’s skin, her mouth over Keran’s chest, the princess’ heaving breaths, even as she slips her fingers down to feel the gathering wetness between her legs, the spot over her panties, even as she draws small circles over her clit until her legs start shaking and she bites into her wrist to keep herself from crying out at the thought of Keran trembling beneath her. It isn’t until she’s peeling off her underwear, the sticky mess between her legs, smearing the inside of her thighs, that she feels the hot shame wash over her. And the flushing embarrassment when she realizes it does nothing to temper her yearning, only serves to tighten the ache in her lower body each night she goes to bed.

After another four days, Keran is almost back to her normal self, staving off the fever for over a day, though Yuxin is still feeding her porridge, a few bits of meat thrown in for good measure. The princess has almost regained the color in her cheeks, and Yuxin is happy to see that Keran feels well enough to pick up a book, spending her time sitting in the room just to keep the princess company. She tries not to look at Keran in bed too much, the memory of her chest painted permanently into the back of Yuxin’s mind and carved into her fingers dipping in between her legs each night, an insatiable thirst. She is accustomed to seeing the princess in ornate heavy dresses with far too many folds and layers, and the contrast with Keran’s nightgown is far too wide for Yuxin to wrap her mind around. So she tries her best not to look, lest she stare too long and her cheeks flare too red and the princess pries into her thoughts like opening one of the many ornate jewelry boxes that adorn the top of Keran’s dresser.

Fate is not kind to her though, laughing at her temptation.

“Princess, you must eat.” Yuxin kindly holds the spoonful of porridge up to Keran’s mouth, holding the bowl with her other hand underneath as to not accidentally drip, but Keran is petulant today, has been ever since she had awoken, and Yuxin is baffled. “Please, you need to regain your strength. You’ve been sick for near two weeks.” Keran’s mouth remains pursed into a short, severe line, and Yuxin mentally kicks herself, trying not to smile, the effect being that the princess looks like a put-out child rather than angry. Yuxin finds it endearing but knows if she smiles now, Keran will think it means she can get away with anything. “Eat, Lu Keran.” Her voice firm. She rarely ever uses the princess’ name, it is too much, not her place to, but she had found it slipping out in a fit of temper once when Keran had tried to take too much slack. She had regretted it immediately, but it had sobered the princess who apologized meekly, realizing that a line had been crossed. And instead of having her punished, the next day the princess had daintily told her that she liked the sound of Yuxin saying her name – as long as it is used sparingly.

“But I’m not hungry.” Keran whips her head around to look towards the windows, the outside, a little too quickly, and Yuxin cries out, the movement jostling her hand, the spoonful of hot porridge scalding her skin of her other hand, her grip tightening on the bowl to steady it.

“Yuxin.” Keran’s face a picture of distress, her hand coming up to snatch the bowl from her hand and place it aside. “I didn’t mean to.” The princess glances around, the realization that there is nothing to clean it up with on hand coming quickly, and Yuxin nearly hits the princess in the face with how fast she tries to yank her hand away in surprise, Keran’s hands gripped tightly around her wrist, holding it in place, as Yuxin feels Keran’s tongue cool against her skin, lapping, chasing away the heat from her hand only for it to pool in her groin instead. The princess’ lips are soft, slightly chapped, and Yuxin sits there, the dizziness clouding her head as Keran presses kisses into the burn. “Yuxin, did I hurt you?”

“N-no.” Yuxin’s voice trembles, and she hopes that the princess mistakes it for anything but what it truly is, ducking her head to hide her face that she’s sure is starting to flush.

“I-I- don’t need you to feed me.” She spares a peek, and Keran looks remorseful, her mouth slightly parted, the tip of her thumb grazing the bottom edge of her top teeth, a nervous habit. She looks almost as if she’s about to cry, and Yuxin nearly laughs aloud thinking about how silly it would be if she needs to comfort the princess when she’s the one that’s gotten burned. “You should go to the kitchen and get some ice. Perhaps ask for some herbs.”

“It’s not serious, Princess.” She replies softly, resisting the urge to brush away the tears welling up with her thumbs. “See?” And it’s true, the redness already starting to fade from her hand, from an angry shade to a lightened pink.

Keran looks worried nonetheless, biting her lower lip. “At least get some ice anyways. I’ll be fine without you for an hour or two.”

She bows her head as she walks out, not quite running, but not walking either, a brisk pace, past the dining hall, past the room with the piano, past the kitchens, back to her quarters instead. She doesn’t waste time, hiking up her skirts, thumbs hooking into the top of her panties to shimmy them off, lesson learned after last week when she realized that she did not have nearly enough clothing to be washing things more than once per week. And Yuxin doesn’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed about it anymore, her fingers teasing at her chest, pinching, rolling the hardened nub between her thumb and index finger over her clothing, palms cupping and squeezing, the other hand deftly working between her legs, and Yuxin imagines she can still feel the spot where Keran had kissed her hand, cool to the touch, up against her inner thigh as she teases herself, the thought of the princess licking her way downwards over her skin, all the way until Keran can feel everything she does to Yuxin, makes her cry out, mouth pressed into her pillow to muffle the sound.

Yuxin does her best to clean herself but knows it’s not sufficient, too nervous to chance anyone questioning why she would need to pull water for bathing in the middle of the day, and when she returns to Keran, she can still smell the stench of it, her arousal dried into her skin. At least she imagines she can, but Yuxin desperately hopes it’s not true and hopes that the princess can’t smell it on her either.

Keran has lost a bit of weight from being sick, still looking slightly peaky in the mirror as Yuxin ties her up this morning, and Yuxin can feel it in the way that she has to tighten her loops slightly more than usual, can feel it in her palms that encircle Keran's waist as she works, and Yuxin briefly wonders how far apart her fingertips would be if she tried to measure Keran's waist with her hands, her thumbs pressing into Keran's back, her fingers caressing the skin above Keran's hip bones.

“How do you feel, Princess?”

“Better.” Keran’s mouth is set into a determined look in the mirror, and Yuxin feels the pity rise up in her chest, not fooled by the painted on smile that Keran wears, the princess likely still not in the right mood for her usual activities. But Keran had been determined, the calling date of this particular visitor having been set months in advance, and the princess had refused to cancel. “Thank you for being patient with me, Yuxin.” Keran lets out a sigh and leans back into Yuxin, and she keeps her hands to herself as best as she can even while she stares at herself grasping Keran around the waist in the mirror. “You’ve been doing well, Princess.”

“Perhaps I should wear gloves today.” Yuxin complies, fetching a pair from the drawer, one of Keran’s favorites but most troublesome, the lacy material upsettingly delicate, and Yuxin takes her time to slide them on, evening out the material on Keran’s fingers, ignoring the feel of the underlying warmth of the princess’ skin against her palms, trying not to imagine the feel of Keran’s fingers curled up inside her. The princess has long, elegant fingers, almost spiderlike, a real asset for when she plays the piano, able to reach parted keys far more easily than Yuxin can when Keran let her try. And Yuxin takes note each time she helps the princess clip her fingernails, keeping them neat and short, that Keran has the prettiest pair of hands she has ever seen, and she wouldn’t mind holding on to them forever.

“And a clip, Princess.” Yuxin chooses her favorite one from the bunch, slim and not overly exorbitant, a dragonfly with it’s pretty wings inlaid with tiny pearls that nestle perfectly right above Keran’s earlobe when she pins the princess’ hair back on one side. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, Yuxin.” Keran is thrumming with a nervous energy today, Yuxin can feel it from her hands holding the princess at the shoulders, and she wonders whether it’s because of the visitor - mayhaps they are important. “Can you go check whether everything in the kitchen is preferred for our luncheon?”

“Of course, Princess.”

Yuxin takes her leave, finishing off some little tasks in the time she has remaining, folding the clothes that had finished drying from yesterday’s washing, looking down fondly at the timidly bigger pile she has in her drawers. It hadn’t taken long for Keran to realize that Yuxin did not have anything in the way of clothing for the colder weather to come, the few chilly autumn days thus far nearly catching up to Yuxin with a chill when she only had her summer clothes to wear. So the princess had gifted her with some, insisting that she purchase even more after she had wrested out of Yuxin about just how little she had. She couldn’t bear to even open it all, the presents coming in pretty bags, an assortment of colors to add to her mostly monotone room, and most of them are still gathered in the corner. And Yuxin allows herself the indulgence, once per week, of carefully revealing a new piece, the happy glow lasting with her the entirety of the day when she does.

She stays in the drawing room when their guest visits, keeping to the corner, only moving forward to serve more tea when necessary, the rest of the tiny confectionaries and cakes laid out on the table prior. Yuxin had seen their kitchen fretting all morning over the excess, more anxious than anything else, but nevertheless, she is proud of how well they had managed, the little setting looking quite dainty indeed.

“And the king? How is he?” Yuxin can’t help but stare each time Keran picks up her teacup, her fingers curved over the handle in her gloves, the pink of her lips as she sips her tea.

“Well, he’s doing well, Keran.” Yuxin tries to ignore the stab of jealousy that runs through her from the way the man says Keran’s name. As if he knows her. Which he probably does. She has to remind herself that really her time with Keran only spans months when likely the man has known her for years. A pause. “The queen is doing well too.” The man’s tone shifts to a carefully tread warning. “Though she still has not come around to the idea of sending for you to come back to the palace.” A pause. “She’s removed all your belongings from the West Wing.”

“I see.”

The chatter continues, boring enough that Yuxin zones it out, shifting from one foot to the other the longer she stands there, letting her mind wander to better things. Like the way Keran tilts her head when she’s concentrating on what someone is saying. Or how Keran always wishes her goodnight before she is relieved from her daily duties. Or the way Keran’s shoulder blades jut out as she takes a breath as Yuxin laces her up in her corsets, thankfully much quicker than she had when first starting. Or how Keran’s legs looked, skin smooth and creamy, as Yuxin had hiked up her petticoats all the way to mid-thigh to apply a salve over the princess’ scrapped knee that time she tripped and fell. Yuxin had rubbed in the medicine carefully and slowly, trying not to think about pressing her lips to the princess’ legs, sucking patterns into her skin.

“Thank you for coming, Lord Cai.” Yuxin startles out of her thoughts as, head snapping up as the princess bids her goodbyes, standing up and curtsying prettily. The visitor gives her a sympathetic smile, taking out a ruby red box, prettily tied up with a snow white bow, handing it to Keran. “I’m sorry, Princess. I hope you’ll stay well, and I wish you all the best.”

“For you as well.” The princess accepts the gift gratefully, cradling it in her hands, watching as the Lord leaves.

Keran seems off for the rest of the afternoon after he leaves, and Yuxin doesn’t know quite why, staying by the princess’ side as she works on responding to letters and various mail. “Is something wrong, Princess?” Keran doesn’t seem to hear her at first, focused on writing. “Keran.” She softly whispers the princess’ name, low and insistent.

“Oh, hmm?” Keran looks up, and Yuxin hates that the princess looks distant, as if she’s staring at Yuxin but really looking right through her at something Yuxin cannot fathom. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned about, Yuxin. I was just hoping the Lord would have some better news to pass on.” The princess brightens. “But never mind that, it’s a chilly day. How about we go sit by the fireplace?”

Yuxin feels that the princess is holding something back, but Keran does not offer anything more, and Yuxin does not feel as if it’s her place to ask.

It’s getting easier for Yuxin to not stare.

She likes to think that she has become better at hiding her thoughts, her flushing cheeks, but Yuxin is not sure whether it’s true and supposed she will never find out regardless. Though admittedly, she feels that a true test of her restraint comes every time she draws a bath for the princess. Her baths had been getting longer and longer as of late, the weather turning colder, Keran liking to soak for lengthier periods in the hot water, bundling herself up afterwards in many sheets and blankets to sit by the fireplace. Yuxin had been caught staring once and been teased relentlessly by the princess, all while brushing it off as a tired night and an unfortunate episode of staring off into space. It worked as an excuse well enough, and the princess had not seemed to mind much. At least not enough to punish her in any way.

But today, Yuxin’s restraint seems to be failing her.

The past few days have been somewhat trying, and it hasn’t escaped Yuxin’s notice that she has been more on edge than usual, not able to keep her mind from wandering to places her body wants to go to. And the princess is definitely testing her patience today. “Yuxin, help me with my shoulders?” Yuxin tries not to let her hands trembles as she picks up the bar of soap, getting started, the small of the princess’ upper back showing. “No, with your hands, please, Yuxin. I’m a bit sore today. Perhaps spent too long at the piano. And my shoulders could use a good rub.”

Yuxin lets out a shaky breath but follows along anyways. She dips her hands in the bathwater, soaking them before rubbing the bar of soap between her palms, making sure to build up a healthy amount of suds before placing them over Keran’s shoulders, her thumbs grazing the princess’ upper back, fingers drifting over her collarbones. They are sharp and beautiful, and Yuxin hears Keran let out a small sigh as she runs her fingers over the top edge. “My back too?” Yuxin hopes the gasp is too quiet to hear but knows it isn’t, the princess sitting forward, ducking her head down, exposing her back, and Yuxin traces the curve of Keran’s spine, the princess’ shoulders hunched over slightly. She rubs in small circles over Keran’s skin, wishing she could do more, touch more.

Keran moans slightly when she presses her thumbs in, and Yuxin freezes.

“That feels good. Please continue.” Yuxin does, massaging the princess’ shoulders and upper back, kneading her muscles with her fingers and the heel of her palm, trying to ignore the sounds coming from Keran’s mouth, sounds that if she closed her eyes, she could mistake them for the princess being pleasured. “This still feels good, Princess?” She asks out of an almost morbid curiosity, trying to keep her tone even and free of want. Perhaps Yuxin just wants to hear it. She closes her eyes. “Yes, it feels good, Yuxin.” And Yuxin imagines that they’re doing something else instead when the princess responds, slightly breathless. She mentally gives herself a pat on the back for holding herself together, but as it turns out, fate is not done toying with her.

“Yuxin, would you perhaps mind doing the same for my legs as they’re also quite sore.”

Her throat feels dry all of a sudden, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and her words come out mumbled and unwieldy, as if she has a piece of cotton in the way. “Of course, Princess.” Keran straightens herself up somewhat in the tub, and Yuxin brings the stool over to the other side to Keran’s front, readjusting herself after placing it down. Keran waits as she soaps her hands for the second time with the bar of soap, trying not to seem as if she is staring at the princess’ chest, the swell of Keran’s breasts just visible above the surface of the water in the bathtub. When she is finished, the princess holds out her hand. “Yuxin, the soap.” And Yuxin starts at Keran’s ankle, both hands cradled near the heel of the princess’ left leg, gently massaging Keran’s calves, trying not to think about what she will do when she reaches above the princess’ knee, the rest of Keran’s leg submerged underneath the water. The princess’ calves fit perfectly into her hands, thin but the muscle taut, and Yuxin concentrates looking at Keran’s knees, nearly always scraped or bruised in the summer, one of Yuxin’s favorite parts of the princess’ body. At least from what she’s had the opportunity of studying in-depth thus far. They are perfect, and the princess would always giggle when Yuxin had pressed kisses to the grazes left behind, passing off her adoration for nurturing instinct, her fingers resting in the hollows that is the back of Keran’s knees. She is so intent on her task and avoiding Keran’s gaze, that she nearly doesn’t notice until Keran shifts, jostling.

The princess is fully upright in the bathtub now, her back straightened, arms stretched out in front, slowly running her hand along her arms to spread the soap, and Yuxin watches, chest tightening, heart beating faster, as Keran’s hands move to her chest, fingers splayed over her breasts, and what Yuxin wouldn’t give to be the one cupping the princess in her hands. And she can feel the arousal pooling between her legs, seeing the nippy air harden Keran’s nipples into pert buds, and Yuxin’s mind starts going wild before the princess’ voice brings her back to reality, her, the playful splash nearly catching her in the face. “Yuxin? Drifting off again?” The princess is wearing a look of amusement, and Yuxin stammers, trying to ignore that Keran’s hands are still over her breasts. “I apologize, Princess.”

“Aren’t you going to continue?” Keran says it with a calm that Yuxin does not feel, her hair falling to the side, eyes questioning. “Oh, yes. If you wish, Princess.” Keran nods, and Yuxin hesitates. “Roll up your sleeves first if you do not wish to get them wet.” She dries her hands on the towel by her side before sliding her sleeves upwards, past her elbows, cuffing them at the ends, sliding her hands back into the bathwater, noticeably more lukewarm. “Princess, shall I draw more water first?” She pauses. “I don’t want you catching a cold.” Keran shakes her head. “I won’t be much longer, anyways.” Yuxin looks down, uncertain, her fingers trembling as they make their way upwards squeezing around Keran’s thighs, both her hands encircling, fingers pressing in, massaging. She can feel the princess looking at her, Keran’s stare boring into the top of her head, and Yuxin doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry, the higher she goes. Her head snaps up at the murmur. Short, simple. “Switch.”

The princess is not looking at her at all to Yuxin’s relief, Keran’s eyes closed, he head leaning back over the edge of the bathtub, facing upwards towards the ceiling, and Yuxin does, starts on the other leg, admiring the line of Keran’s tilted neck. She averts her eyes when the princess finally leaves the tub, as she often does, keeping her gaze affixed to the floor as she hands Keran a towel to wrap herself up in.

“Thank you, Yuxin.”

It’s a brief touch, but Yuxin imagines it as a caress, the feel of Keran’s fingers over her cheek burning into her skin.

It keeps growing colder, and they finally have their first snowfall, though light, the princess insisting on venturing outside, packing what little there is on the ground into a perfect rounded snowball, Yuxin spluttering as Keran throws it at her. The weather does make Keran more irritable, the chances to frolic outside growing more and more limited as the weather changes, and Yuxin finds that she needs to spend more and more time appeasing the princess. One afternoon, she had spent hours trying to shoo the princess out of the kitchen, Keran being overcome with an indescribable need to watch how the food is made, the rest of the staff fumbling about themselves to be respectful, and at least one bowl of batter is sacrificed, landing on the floor. But no one can parry the princess’ whims, and Keran gets her way, changing into less of her mountainous layers, the kitchen staff giving each other scandalous looks as the princess tasks herself with baking a cake. It comes out lopsided and not the right flavor, Keran adding not enough sugar, and Yuxin silently laughs behind her hand at the face the princess makes when she takes her first bite.

The days pass by, and Yuxin, for the first time in her life, is content.

Yuxin is tired this morning, not able to fall asleep the night before, the temperature dropping overnight, more than expected, and she had not had the foresight to fetch more blankets before retiring, instead spending the hours shifting around in her bed. She wakes up an hour earlier than usual to get a fire started, but she is still cold when she goes to the princess’ rooms. Waking Keran from slumber is normally not an easy task, but it is made more difficult when the morning is chilly. Today is no exception, and Yuxin is patient as Keran finally gets up from the bed, tending to the few embers that have started to heat up the room.

The princess folds her legs underneath her, kneeling in front of the full length mirror by her vanity in the corner of the room, waiting expectantly, too far away from the warmth of the fire still, shivering in her thin undergarments. Yuxin gets to work as quickly as possible, worried about Keran, urging in her head for the fire to fill the room with heat faster. But the cold has more of an effect than she believes, priding herself on how much better she has gotten at dressing the princess. Yuxin’s normally deft and nimble fingers are still numb, and Yuxin clumsily starts tightening the loops, the ribbon threading through each hold, criss-crossing down Keran’s back, the corset always the hardest part. Yuxin is proud of her bows, once large and limp, now small and neat, centered right down the curve of Keran’s spine, all the way down to the small dimpling in her lower back. And Yuxin loves when she can feel the princess, slow inhales and exhales, each time she laces her up, her hands circumscribing Keran’s waist. But she is struggling, she knows it, and Yuxin curses inwardly as she catches a glimpse of the princess’ image in the mirror, Keran’s watchful gaze as she works, feeling her cheeks aflame, getting warmer the longer she takes. And she curses again, willing that the heat return to her fingers instead.

It doesn’t, and Yuxin makes her first mistake, in hindsight, truly the one that sets everything in motion.

She goes to right the top edge, miffed at her inadequacy, unnaturally crooked for Yuxin, the corset not aligned evenly under Keran’s rolled back shoulders, and her cold-bitten knuckles graze the princess’ shoulder blades by accident as she fixes it. And suddenly, Keran’s back arches, curved like a bow, her shoulder blades pulling together, a tremble, the shudder running through her body like a shot. It’s the _whine_ that does her in, low and throaty, Keran’s mouth parted, hanging open slightly, her eyes half closed, all fluttering eyelashes. Yuxin is in shock – she can see it written all over her face in the mirror – and she knows she should stop staring, but she cannot bear to tear her stare away from the mirror, an eternity moving past them before the princess opens her eyes. Keran stares straight at her for a few heartbeats.

Yuxin stops breathing, sucking in all the air into her lungs, watching slowly as the princess unfolds her legs from underneath her, sliding them out to side before rocking her hips slightly, her knees, oh Keran’s _knees_ , parting slowly, opening up and falling to the sides, the material of her underskirts slipping down over her thighs, sluggishly bunching up near her hips, and Yuxin watches as the strip of the princess’ inner thigh reveals itself in the mirror. She doesn’t remember to breathe until Keran reaches up to grab her hand, frozen almost comically in the air, her exhale coming out in a squeak, the princess guiding Yuxin’s hand down, down, down, placing it against the inner part of her right knee, and Yuxin feels Keran’s legs tremble against the cold of her fingers. And Keran still has her fingers encircling Yuxin’s wrist, wordlessly moving her hand further down, shuddering as Yuxin realizes, unfurling her fist to press the flat of her palm to her skin.

The descent is maddeningly slow, Yuxin with no choice but to watch in the mirror, the gathering of Keran’s skirts blocking her view from over the princess’ shoulder, the flush heating her cheeks as the princess gazes right back at her watching everything unfold. Keran mewls when Yuxin touches her, collapsing back into her chest, all of a sudden the weight of the princess’ body heaped onto her, the back of her head nestled into the crook of Yuxin’s neck. And the fascination overtakes her, never having even looked at herself, simply slipping her fingers in Keran’s folds, dragging them downwards where Keran is already wet, fingers trailing back upwards slowly, smearing the slickness. Yuxin exhales, eyes wide, as she spreads her fingers, opening the princess up – a pretty pink, the exact shade of pinkish-red that Keran’s tongue had been in the summer, stained from eating too many cherries, the juices coating the corners of her mouth as she spat out the pits, sticking out her tongue at Yuxin to show her the stems tied into knots, like a magic trick. She is so absorbed that Yuxin doesn’t even realize until Keran whimpers, the princess tugging pathetically at her arm, her eyes squeezed shut tightly, mouth open in a breathless pant. “Yuxin.” She acquiesces, fingers gathering more wetness in her slick folds, before starting to draw circles around her clit, and Keran’s knees pull together instinctively, thighs squeezing around her hand, breath hitching.

“Relax, Princess.” Keran’s breathing deepens, and Yuxin continues, rubbing in circles with the pads of her fingertips, slowly, occasionally reaching down to feel how much wetter the princess is. Yuxin can’t tell how much time has passed, just listening to Keran breathing becoming more short and clipped, watching in the mirror, the princess’ thighs starting to tremble slightly, the slickness of Keran’s folds evident even in the mirror, a shiny sheen. She can feel herself getting wet too, the ache between her legs starting to become uncomfortable, the desire to do something about it growing stronger, but all but impossible with the princess gathered in her lap, her knees starting to throb against the hard ground, her calves growing numb. “Princess, aren’t you going to watch?” Her tone is slightly chiding, not because she wants to reprimand Keran, but Yuxin hopes that the princess will see what she sees, that Keran is beautiful and perfect, and every bit worthy of her title. Keran opens her eyes and lets out a little gasp, eyes widening into round saucers, and Yuxin smiles at the instantaneous flush, the princess’ cheeks getting a ruddy red, turning her face into Yuxin’s shoulder in embarrassment. “I- “ Yuxin presses a kiss into Keran’s hair, inhaling the sweet vaguely floral smell of the princess’ locks, the lingering afterthought of roses from her bath last night. “You don’t have to look, Princess, but I think you’re majestic, truly.”

Keran’s eyes open back up, butterfly lashes against her skin, fluttering prettily, and Yuxin groans, the princess hesitantly reaching upwards, her fingers bent into little arches, scraping against the swell of her breasts. And Yuxin laughs, tinkling and throaty, her handiwork a tad too good, Keran struggling to slip her corset down. “Here, Princess.” She murmurs, low against Keran’s ear, her unoccupied hand moving from the princess’ waist to her back, well-practiced fingers loosening the tightly laced top ribbons without looking. The view only serves to pull another guttural groan from her, Yuxin clenching her legs tighter together, the wetness between her own legs becoming more apparent against her inner thighs as Keran touches her own breasts, the princess’ nipples framed by her splayed fingers. And Yuxin is reminded of Keran in the bath, the way the princess had looked, the suds sliding over her skin. They’re dark compared to the princess’ creamy skin, the contrast making Yuxin whine lightly, the need tightening in her groin, matching Keran’s mewls as she watches the princess tease herself, her nipples hardening into perky nubs quickly from the cold morning, and Yuxin feels Keran’s folds grow slicker, her eyelids half-closed, heavy-lidded with arousal.

It doesn’t take much longer for the princess’ legs to go slack, and Yuxin doesn’t stop working her fingers, insistent on drawing it out as long as she can, listening to Keran’s breathing become more erratic, the princess fumbling to say her name the harder her knees shake. “Yuxin- I…please-“ Yuxin revels inwardly in the way Keran’s eyes are screwed tightly close, her pert mouth gaping in a half-swallowed whimper, and Yuxin feels the princess quivering in her arms until the end, a soft whine of acceptance leaving her lungs. Keran has her eyes closed afterwards still, and Yuxin tightens one arm around the princess’ tiny waist to prop her up, bringing her fingers to her mouth to taste Keran’s juices, sucking. A hint of sweetness over her tongue. And Yuxin must have made a noise because Keran’s eyes open, the princess half-turning to look at her, her digits still in her mouth, and Yuxin can feel the blush deepening over her cheeks, Keran’s mouth frozen in a silent ‘o’, her eyes dark and intense as Keran stares wordlessly.

“Are you- did you-“ The princess looks away, clearly embarrassed, searching for the words but coming up with none, none that Keran is willing to say aloud at least. Yuxin answers the unspoken question instead, smiling at the princess’ sudden shyness, a glimpse of a Keran that she hasn’t seen directed at herself before. “Not yet, Princess.” Keran doesn’t respond for a few moments, and Yuxin wonders if she’s overstepped her bounds, not able to see the princess’ face in the mirror, her hair falling over her turned cheek. The whisper comes like a wisp, faded and uncertain. “I want to watch.” Keran shifts, moving out of her lap, crawling a few lengths away before turn, and now it’s Yuxin’s turn to be embarrassed, the princess’ gaze boring into her like a shot, expectant and patient. “Princess, I-“ She struggles, not sure how best to gather her thoughts to form a coherent excuse.

But Keran watches her drown, not moving a muscle, silent.

Yuxin flushes as she resigns herself to her fate, hands trembling as she reaches to hike up her skirts, her legs protesting as she changes position. And she’s not quite sure where to look, the mirror, the princess, or whether to close her eyes, her eyes darting around nervously. “Yuxin.” The way the princess says her name feels like a caress, spurring her fingers into action, dipping her fingers down to her dripping core, not bothering to slide her underwear off, the material already soaked through beyond saving. It is brief – the princess’ staring makes sure of that – and Yuxin makes sure to meet Keran’s gaze as she feels herself first beginning to tense, her eyes unconsciously closing as it hits her, the princess’ name on her lips, pulled from the depths of the remaining breath in her lungs.

The kiss dances lightly over her lips, like the fragments of a forgotten dream, stolen from the edge of memory. Keran has already turned away before Yuxin opens her eyes, but it doesn’t stop her from feeling it even as she falls asleep that night.

They don’t talk about it, but the week after, Keran tells her to stay, hand overlying the spot beside her on the covers, eyes questioning, lips set in a pout. Yuxin nearly flees, thoughts of propriety and decorum and many other reasons on the tip of her tongue, thick in her throat, but Yuxin is lying to herself if she believes for one instant that she could ever refuse the princess. She spends half the night awake and belabored with want, Keran’s breath, deep and even as she sleeps, upon her chest, the princess’ head tucked under her chin, Keran’s hair tickling her jaw. The next night, she waffles, her feet not sure which way to go as she bids the princess a good night, unsure of whether she is expected to stay or leave. And Yuxin waits until Keran has properly closed her eyes before excusing her from the princess’ chambers. It is a sparse asking, and on nights that she lies alone in her own bed, Yuxin wonders if it is a fever dream, the lines delineating reality starting to thin.

Otherwise, the princess continues on as if nothing is out of the ordinary, her outside activities truly a distant vestige of the summertime, her time spent pouring over books instead or hands running up and down the keys of her piano. A few times, Yuxin is required to trim the princess’ hair, Keran deciding that she preferred to keep it short even after the summer was over, and Yuxin does so as well. There’s nothing more enticing to break up their days, but Yuxin doesn’t need to fight boredom, spending time by Keran’s side enough. The princess’ nighttime asks become more and more frequent as they trek further into the winter, and Yuxin briefly entertains the thought that the princess must just want a warm body by her side, Keran’s fingers always cold and numb in the morning as Yuxin wakes. And often times, Yuxin carefully rubs the princess’s hands between hers, lending some warm breaths if she can as Keran slumbers. But she quickly banishes the thought from her mind, reluctant to leave the door open for breeding resentment. Being by the princess’ side is enough – it has to be.

The princess is not as good at warding off boredom. One afternoon, the princess had taken out all the good crystal glasses from the cupboards in the kitchen, the ones reserved for when they had guests over, setting them in a line on the dining table, filling each one with a different level of water, managing to play a few simple tunes by fiddling around till nightfall. Never mind that it had gotten in the way of dinner, the staff placing the prepared dishes in a haphazard pattern on the table to avoid the glasses, which Keran had refused to move. The next week had brought upon yet another baking experience, the ingredients left lying around as the second cake comes out only a tad less dilapidated than the first one many months ago, the floor half covered with flour, sugar spilled over the counter. Yuxin half-wishes that she were not the only one who had the wherewithal to tell the princess off, but the entirety of the staff seemed content to indulge her, except for the head of the kitchen who only saw fit to scold Keran once in a blue moon and only when she was in a fierce mood. The princess’ newest pastime involved picking inconvenient places to conduct her afternoon studies, sending the maid into a flurry each time she had been denied access to a surface that she was required to dust or wipe down, clucking with thinly veiled disapproval for the rest of the day.

And it is to that effect that Yuxin finds herself in her current predicament, weighed down with exasperation.

“Princess, please get down from there.”

Keran ignores her, nose still buried in her book, legs swinging at a steady pace, the soft but solid thump each time the heels of her feet hit the wood. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. A drumming so steady that it could be mistaken for the swing of a metronome, perfectly timing out the beats as the princess plays along on the piano. “Princess, please.” The maid is on the warpath today, having received bad news from back home, her brother having run off with some tramp, leaving her mother alone, and Yuxin is afraid that even the need to stay in Keran’s good graces might not hold her back today if the princess decides to be impertinent. No movement from the princess.

“Lu Keran.” Her tone is sharp, frayed at the edges, and that finally gets Keran’s attention, the princess glancing up from her reading, eyes peeking over the pages at her, though her legs don’t stop their rhythmic moving. Yuxin feels her temper growing shorter, the tattered fuse a result of spending hours in the morning helping with laundry, the cold of the winter ushering in more layers for the princess – and also meaning more time spent washing clothing. She can’t stop the irritation from leaking further into her voice this time. “Lu Keran.”

“Make me.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

So be it.

_Thump._

The princess’ book hits the ground like a shot going off.

“Wh-what are you d-doing?” Keran stammers, her expression panicked, voice high, the spots of pink appearing high in her cheekbones. Ah, such pretty cheekbones. Yuxin hesitates for only a moment before continuing to hike up the princess’ skirts - ankles, calves, knees. “Making you.” She replies simply, the heels of her hands skimming over the tops of Keran’s thighs, as she pushes up towards the princess’ hips. Yuxin can’t stop the smile from spreading over her face, her delight at the torn expression on Keran’s face evident, an even mix between distressed, intrigue, and desire. “Are you going to come down, Princess?” Yuxin doesn’t wait for a response, pressing a kiss to each of Keran’s exposed knees, lips lingering on the second one, and she turns her gaze upwards questioningly, hands against the princess’ outer thighs, her thumbs stroking in little half moons. Shaky breaths. Yuxin feels the tears in her eyes well up, the princess tugging hard, Keran’s fingers curling in her hair, grabbing, the instant she licks a stripe from the princess’ inner knee to mid inner thigh, her tongue flat and heavy against Keran’s skin, leaving behind a wet trail. “Princess.” She implores, her voice tinged, and Keran loosens her death grip on Yuxin’s hair, sheepish. “Sorry, Yuxin.”

Yuxin gazes directly at the princess as she slowly parts Keran’s legs, hands on either knee, quiet in the room except for the sound of the princess’ thighs rubbing against the dresser. It’s a new experience, the strong light of midday streaming into the room from the windows, and Yuxin watches as Keran’s eyes darken with arousal, her pupils blown wide until only a thin encircling brown shows, reminding Yuxin of the ridged buttons over the backs of the princess’ dresses, ivory white rimmed with gold. Keran’s hands come down slowly, bracing against the dresser top, heels digging into the surface, facing outwards, fingers arching as if she’s about to start playing the piano. Her head goes back even slower, and Yuxin traces the line of the princess’ neck, admiring the way she can see Keran swallowing, neck working hard to match time with her chest, deep breaths too difficult in her dress, hitching as the corset tightens around her breasts. Yuxin starts with open-mouthed kisses, tongue flicking out to run along the princess’ inner thigh, feeling Keran quiver, her teeth scraping lightly, her free hand caressing the other leg, a few inches below the line where Keran’s panties are tracing over her skin.

The princess shudders and cries out when she bites down, nipping, sucking a mark into Keran’s skin, tonguing over the spot for the stab of pain. It’s pinkened, a touch of a shade darker than the princess’ folds, and Yuxin wonders just how pretty Keran would look with bites littering the insides of her thighs, mottled flowers blooming, and she resolves to find out how the princess would look with a bouquet of pinks and purples imprinted into her skin. Yuxin adds a few more, properly taking her time on either side, the first mark somehow feeling sad and lonely no longer after she forms a string of islands, an archipelago she believes it’s called, a word the princess had explained to her just last week. Keran whimpers when Yuxin blows on her skin, cool against the warmth emanating from the princess, and Yuxin feels the tug in her hair again, as insistent as Keran’s low throaty moan, urging her for more. “Please-“ The needy whisper runs through Yuxin, electric all the way down to her toes, and Yuxin grips the princess’ legs once more, prying gently, a little further, so she can nose her way between Keran’s legs, falling apart.

She’s so close, she can see the detail on the princess’ underwear, the way the lace swirls into rosebuds and vines overlaid with meticulously sewn-in tiny pearls, barely the size of the head of a pin. Yuxin can see the faintest start of the princess’ arousal, the wet spot outlining Keran’s sex, the creamy white fabric darkened with her juices. The princess squeezes around her, Yuxin flicking the tip of her tongue over where she estimates Keran’s clit is, and Yuxin needs to hold strong, hands keeping the princess’ legs apart as she suddenly laps fully, her tongue pressing firmly up against Keran, the princess shrieking when she gives Keran’s sensitive clit a light suck, the princess’ panties in her mouth. And Yuxin moans against the princess, the sharp pull on her somehow enticing, burrowing her face further in between Keran’s legs, the princess’ thighs clenching around her, Keran’s hips bucking up to meet her mouth. “Wait, Princess.”

Keran makes a noise of protest when she backs away, scrunching up her nose with annoyance written on her face, which Yuxin ignores to hook her hands behind the princess’ knees, dragging her forwards on the vanity, the princess yelping, until Keran’s ass is near the edge, Yuxin able to slip her fingers into the waistband of Keran’s underwear, the fabric sliding off, the princess lifting up her legs somewhat, elbows leaning back on the dresser. “Mmm, excited, Princess?” Yuxin teases, setting aside Keran’s underwear on the dresser, delighting in the way the princess’ face warms, eyebrows drawn together cutely in feigned testiness. Or perhaps real testiness from the way Keran maybe-not-so-mock-scowls at her. But any trace of that disappears when Yuxin crouches down slightly, peppering kisses against Keran, her hands cupping the underside of the princess’ thighs, fully intending to hook Keran’s legs over her shoulders for ease of access, but Yuxin pauses at the eep! that the princess makes, stammering. “I- “ A deep inhale, the princess blowing it out slowly, the air deflating from her rounded cheeks. “No, I- “ Keran’s voice drops so low that Yuxin needs to strain to hear, studying the curve of the princess’ lips.

Touch…me.

The princess tastes exactly how she remembers, taking only a moment to study Keran’s folds, still the pretty pink in her recollection, the impatient whine from the princess more important to tend to. Yuxin starts from the bottom, tongue tracing upwards maddeningly slow if the hair pull is any indication, her nose also grazing and wet. Yuxin swirls over Keran’s clit with the tip of her tongue, the princess shuddering as she draws lazy circles lightly, the pressure of Keran’s hand on the top of her head increasing as she presses the flat of her tongue up against the princess, slurping, noise unintentionally obscene in the quiet room, loud alongside Keran’s little pants. The princess is _wet_. And Yuxin marvels at this fact, that she has the privilege of seeing the princess in this way, unimaginable even just months ago. Vulnerable, quivering, expectant, drenched. The princess mewls, and Yuxin slips further down, tongue probing, the princess trembling as she shallowing dips in, tasting Keran more, lapping up the princess’ sweetness, and the trembling turns into a tautness, Keran’s lower body tensing as Yuxin catches her clit with the edge of her teeth, nibbling tenderly before giving a long suck. The tightness in Keran’s muscles doesn’t disappear until Yuxin lets go, the heels of the princess’ feet digging into her back.

“So wet, Princess.” She murmurs, admiring her handiwork, fingers sliding over Keran’s folds, slick with her juices, Yuxin not quite as adept as she had believed at catching everything, the princess leaking some on to the polished wood of her vanity, streaking over the surface. “May I- “ Yuxin struggles to find the right words, uncertain of how to phrase everything she wants. At least not in a way the princess will understand.

-love you?

“Yes, please, Yuxin.” The princess returns her look, voice hoarse with longing, eagerness apparent in her gaze, and Keran’s voice is shaky and low with a wanton neediness that makes Yuxin _want_ , cracking towards the end. “Please-“ Yuxin doesn’t stop until she hears Keran come, the princess throbbing under the ministrations of her mouth, slicking her with a sticky wetness, and Yuxin doesn’t let the princess ride it out peacefully, keen to prolong Keran’s high as long as possible, the princess intent on nearly suffocating Yuxin between her legs with how hard Keran is squeezing her thighs together. The princess looks blissful when she finally does stop, Yuxin unwrapping Keran’s legs from her shoulders, hesitating only briefly before brushing her thumb lightly over the princess’ cheekbones. “How do you feel?” A quick pause when the princess doesn’t respond immediately. “Keran?”

The princess’ eyes open slowly, unshuttering like curtains being thrown open on pretty bay windows, and all Keran does is breathe life into Yuxin’s name at first, Yuxin feeling her chest tighten when the princess looks at her with what she feels is akin to love. Or at least that’s what Yuxin would like to believe. The question flits across Keran’s face, her lips timidly opening into her ask, rosy red where the princess had bitten down on her lower lip in the corner, the urge to swipe her thumb over the spot rising up. “What do I-“ The princess averts her eyes, looking down, the blush painting her cheeks, voice barely above a whisper. “-taste like?”

“Sweet.” Yuxin playfully gathers some of the excess slick, popping her fingers coquettishly into her mouth, laughing at the princess’ scandalized expression. “Want a taste?” Yuxin should have known the instant the princess squares her shoulders, set in determination, a habit of Keran’s before she would take the plunge into something, her chin tilted up defiantly. It’s awkward and fumbling. Unexpected. And the princess’ hands are in her hair again, fingers curling at the nape of her neck, searching. Keran’s face is craning down to meet hers, and the princess doesn’t quite catch her full on the mouth at first, but her mouth parts in surprise anyways, and suddenly the princess is licking into her mouth, Keran’s tongue scalding against her own, the moan welling up in the back of her throat. It’s a proper kiss, spit-slicked and heavy, and Yuxin wonders whether it’s the princess’ first kiss too, Keran’s touch a tad clumsy, not everything coming together perfectly, and Yuxin issues a throaty chuckle when their noses bump up against each other. And the thought of the princess tasting herself from Yuxin’s lips, mouth, makes the heat return in between her legs, having been so concentrated on finishing Keran off that she hadn’t spared a thought for herself. “Mmm.” Yuxin teasingly grabs Keran’s tongue with her teeth, the princess making an affronted noise, and Yuxin breaks the kiss off, finally opening her eyes to Keran looking at her down the slope of her nose. “Come here, Keran.” She reaches up to cradle the princess’ face in her hands, her thumbs tracing the line of Keran’s jaw, lips peppering small flowery kisses over the princess’ face, tempting before kissing Keran on the lips, biting gently on the princess’ lower lip before angling her face to deepen the kiss, tongue playfully sparring with Keran’s, slow and thick in the princess’ mouth.

“I want-“ Keran gasps when Yuxin nips at her collarbones, sucking gently, not hard enough to leave any visible marks. “-the bed, Yuxin.”

“Mmm.” Yuxin reluctantly releases her hold, hands clutching at Keran’s waist to help the princess slide herself down from the dresser. She leads the princess over to the bed, Keran’s hand warm in her cooler ones, and Yuxin gives the princess a reassuring squeeze. And Yuxin fully intends on perhaps spending the entire rest of the afternoon kissing the princess, the high from Keran’s lips spiking through her veins. But before she can eagerly resume occupying the princess’ lips, Keran speaks up. “I want to try.” Yuxin holds her breath, the anticipation filling her lungs, Keran standing at the edge of the bed so sweetly, skirts somewhat awry, hair a tinge mussed, looking at her with all the uncertainty and flippant willingness of a novel experience, and Yuxin doesn’t say a word, just nods her assent. The princess is quicker than expected, and Yuxin sharply inhales, grabbing Keran’s wrist first before the princess can continue underneath her skirts. “Let me.”

Keran’s eyes widen, comically large, as Yuxin brings the princess’ fingers to her mouth, admiring the way they look, spindly and graceful, nails clipped short into little perfect crescents. She savors the first finger, tongue slipping down the princess’ index finger, working until her lips reach Keran’s knuckles, and Yuxin watches the princess carefully, the second finger drawing a groan from the Keran’s lips. “Here.” Yuxin guides the princess’ fingers back down to her pussy, whimpering when Keran drags her digits timidly through her already wet folds, the feeling of the princess’ nails scraping lightly making Yuxin hiss, before reaching her clit, experimentally flicking over it with her thumb. Yuxin doesn’t have time to think about the princess working on giving her an orgasm, her breath stolen as Keran falls into her on the bed, the weight of the princess knocking the air out of her before Keran falls more to the side, her lips searching for Yuxin’s eagerly. The princess’ fingers are clumsy, different from her own, but Yuxin still feels the heat making her want to press her legs together, the princess’ tongue in her mouth, the stimulation of the princess stroking her clit making her squirm. Yuxin grows hot, the pleasure flushing her skin, as she moans into Keran’s mouth, embarrassingly high-pitched, feeling the slickness leaking from her, the princess’ fingers smearing it over her inner thighs inadvertently as she continues her ministrations. And before long, she tenses up, feeling it in her abdomen, her hips locking up before Keran draws out her release that runs through her body, eyes rolling back, and open-mouthed pant with the princess still in her mouth. And Yuxin whimpers as the princess doesn’t stop, Keran’s fingers encircling her overly sensitive clit, her body strained as her muscles remain tightly coiled and taut, shuddering through her orgasm, impossibly long, moreso than she has ever felt before, her mind blanking, eyes squeezed together tightly.

When she finally opens her eyes, the princess is staring down at her, a fond smile curving her lips, the bright spots of light from closing her eyes too firmly dancing over Keran’s face, gradually disappearing, and Yuxin groans as the princess’ face sharpens into focus in her vision, a sobering realization washing over her. “The maid won’t be happy about the dresser, Princess.”

Keran only giggles in response.

It’s a foregone conclusion now, Yuxin no longer needing to question whether or not she should stay, and Yuxin gladly spends her nights keeping the princess warm in her arms, kisses pressed to the back of Keran’s neck, the princess tangling their legs together, the feel of Keran’s skin cold to the touch. There are lazy mornings with Yuxin waking the princess up by drawing out moans, her fingers stroking between Keran’s thighs. Sometimes she doesn’t sleep well, and those nights Yuxin spends them watching the princess as she sleeps – not often that she can stare unbiddenly at Keran without being questioned – marveling at her good fortune. And while Yuxin thinks they have thus far been successfully maintaining their decorum in public, moreso her than the princess, who jumps at the chance to act out in small ways if she thinks she can get away with it, to the chagrin of Yuxin who uses far more time to chide Keran than she desires to, it does seem to be some sort of open secret amongst the staff to Yuxin’s embarrassment. At least she believes so, judging by the few raised eyebrows and pointed looks she has received, or that one time she had been caught slipping back to the princess’ room late at night after fetching something to eat from the kitchen, an unfortunate slipup due to Yuxin’s inability to refuse the princess in any capacity. All for one measly apple.

Thankfully, the princess is adored. Yuxin has never worked for anyone else of such high status, but she suspects that she really must have lucked into her position, as the princess is kind, waving off mistakes frequently and without care. When the maid had gone back to tend to her mother for some weeks, a new maid had come to work for them, her first day culminating in disaster, the poor girl knocking over an entire bucket of soapy dirty water as she had been scrubbing the floors, incidentally as the princess had passed, the water soaking the bottom edges of her dress. She had gone as white as a sheet, nearly crying, and Yuxin had watched amusedly as Keran had to calm her down, even going so far as to personally wipe away her tears, dabbing, and offering her some cake as a treat. Which only made the maid blubber harder as she tried to express that she didn’t eat sweets between her tears. Later on, Lin Fan had grabbed her wrist in the kitchen, eyes wide and solemn, other hand clutching at her chest dramatically. “I really thought the Princess would have me whipped.” Yuxin had laughed to the confusion of Lin Fan, but upon thinking about it, since arriving at the palace, she had never seen anyone being punished, much less whipped, with the most ire Keran had expressed being some sharp words and a deep sigh. Perhaps her benevolence is the reason why the staff feels the need to put up with her mischief, for Yuxin is sure even a princess should not get away with all the things Keran does. And thus, nobody even breathes a word to her about warming the princess’ bed each night.

Yuxin looks up from where she is sitting by the fire, lost in her thoughts watching the flickering flames, occasionally poking at it with the poker, turning over the embers to keep it going, tending to it carefully as the temperature today had dropped even further, a cold front moving in the past week or so. The princess had shown her how to roast chestnuts for the first time as the winds had picked up, holding them in their hands to warm up as they sat facing each other over the rug, toes lined up and touching, knees drawn to their chests, giggling and passing the chestnuts back and forth to eat. “Yes, Princess?” Keran is sitting at her desk, a new feature of her bedroom as they had quickly realized that it would be far less effort to do some quick rearranging than to keep a fire warming both the princess’ bedroom and the study each day. It had been a nervous suggestion from the staff which Keran had taken in stride, though it had taken the better part of the day to move the princess’ desk, the unfortunate downside of such ornate and elaborate furniture. There are more letters today, the mail having arrived yesterday, and the princess has looked oddly morose the entire afternoon while responding, perhaps due to the flickering light from the fire combined with the overcast sky of the day, barely any sunlight reaching the corners of the room. “Yuxin, can you read?” The question startles her, remaining silent for a few moments before responding. “No, Princess, I was never taught.” Keran frowns back at her, eyebrows drawn together, fingers clasping her pen still in midair. “Really?” To which Yuxin can’t help but laugh. “Princess, there was not much cause for me to learn to read, never mind the time for it.”

Keran looks at her thoughtfully, thumb pressed to her mouth, and it’s so long that Yuxin nearly turns back to the fire, thinking the princess has already let the thought go free. “We’re going to teach you to read, Yuxin.” A pause. “And write, if you haven’t learned that either.” Yuxin tries to protest. “It’s quite a useful skill, and you may need it someday.” And the princess looks so insistent that Yuxin bites her tongue, not wanting to snap at her that there would never be an occasion such that a person of her status would need to read or write. So she lets the princess fuss over her for the rest of the afternoon, a frustrating venture really, Yuxin feeling out of her depth, the only thing preventing her from giving up being the princess’ continued encouragements. It takes her a week just to learn all her letters, the princess setting aside some time each day to teach her, taking even more time to read passages aloud to her, pointing out certain parts for her to copy and memorize, regaling her with tales of places off in faraway lands and countless riches befitting of a queen. It isn’t long before Yuxin is proficient – she had always been a quick learner – and she falls into an easy habit with the princess, reading stories aloud to one another, switching whenever their eyes become tired. And more weeks, months, pass by, the two of them itching for spring to come.

Spring comes late this year, or at least the warmer weather does, and they are still stuck indoors for the majority of the day even through the tail end of March, the princess still having no solution to her boredom, except for perhaps teaching Yuxin things, many of which Yuxin finds she does not need to know, the flurry of facts jumbled around in her head, distracting from her other duties. But she soldiers on anyways, trying her best to remember everything that Keran fills her head with. She will admit that she does find some of it fascinating, like the fact that ostriches, evidently some sort of flightless bird, can run at over seventy kilometers per hour, but those moments are far and in between. And it’s a point of amusement to Yuxin as the princess finds it fascinating to gather these facts about birds, though Keran doesn’t particularly enjoy creatures that take flight. But even with these few minor annoyances, Yuxin fancies herself in love.

Yuxin hums as she works, helping to organize the bookshelves in the study. The previous week, the princess had decided to pick only her favorite passages in each book to read, Yuxin scurrying behind her as she had paced around the palace reading aloud. And it is only just today in which Yuxin had found the time to gather up everything Keran had pulled off the shelves, the hefty pile needing to be sorted back into their correct places, and Yuxin chuckles, mayhaps now seeing the value of learning her letters, peering down at the titles in order to line them up alphabetically. She can hear the distant melody of the princess playing the piano, the beginning tune of Suite No. 3 in D major reaching her ears. Bach. It’s a simple song, one of the princess’ favorites, and one that her fingers are well-practiced at, nearly never making a mistake. Piano had been another endeavor that Keran had wanted to pursue with Yuxin in mind, another so-called-skill for the books, but reading and writing had occupied too much of the princess’ free time, with Keran barely having enough leftover to practice at the piano herself. It doesn’t take her too long before she’s finished with her task, giving the shelves a satisfied look before leaving to rejoin the princess.

Keran doesn’t look up when she enters, and Yuxin is not sure whether the princess hears her come in at all, her step admittedly quite light, and with the princess generally fully immersed while playing most of the time. She stands to the side quietly, waiting until the princess has played her last note before approaching, calling out. “Princess.” Keran turns as Yuxin makes her way over, tilting her head enchantingly. “Yuxin.” She gives a pause, chin jauntily raising, eyebrows coming together for a mischievous look that sends a shiver down Yuxin’s spine. “Keran.” She doesn’t mean for it to come out with the edge, the sharpness belying her panic underneath. The sinking feeling continues as her gaze tracks Keran as the princess walks across the room, heading towards the door, the click of the lock echoing resoundingly in the large room. “Princess.” The princess briskly walks back to her, and Yuxin is enveloped in an instant, the princess throwing her arms over Yuxin’s shoulders, whining, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. “Yuxin.” She groans, feeling the princess running her fingertips downwards, grabbing. “Princess, you should continue with your practice.” Yuxin sighs as Keran throws her a look, lower lip set into a pout. “Fine.”

Yuxin breathes out a sigh of relief when the princess sits herself down at the piano again, patting the spot on the bench next to her, motioning for Yuxin. So needy today. She concedes anyways, sitting down beside the princess for company, back to the piano, listening as Keran resumes playing, fooling around with less rigorous pieces instead of her usual. But Yuxin doesn’t mind, having headed off the princess’ train of thought for the time being at least. She sits there mindlessly, letting her thoughts wander as the princess practices, Keran periodically switching tunes. Yuxin is so buried in her thoughts that she doesn’t notice at first, the music not stopping, the princess running through one-handed exercises, Keran’s fingers in her lap, attempting to worm their way between her legs shiftily over the thin material of her loose billowy pants, a new addition to her closet, one of the packages she had opened last week, the pile of gifts dwindling down to their last legs. Yuxin is somewhat surprised by how long the presents from the princess had lasted, likely to run out in a few more weeks. They are not the first pair of pants the princess has gifted her, Keran had chosen to include many pairs mixed in with the clothes she had given Yuxin, the princess herself frequently choosing to wear pants if the opportunity presented itself, but this pair is especially nice, the fabric seemingly extra soft against her skin, slits on either side hiding pockets that she has found useful in her daily exploits of running about the palace. And Yuxin really doesn’t want to ruin them.

“Princess.” The warning in her voice is clear this time, but the princess ignores her, her right hand still running modified scales up and down, her left hand insistent. Yuxin wonders whether there is any use resisting the princess’ petulance today and quickly comes to the conclusion that there isn’t. So she gives in, sending up a silent apology to Lin Fan who inevitably will be the one to clean up after them. “Princess,” Yuxin rises, pressing a kiss to the back of Keran’s neck, the princess’ hair tickling her nose, getting long again. “do you enjoy making my life difficult?”

Keran laughs. “Difficult, or more interesting?”

“Mmm.” Yuxin wraps her arms over Keran’s shoulders, leaning down to whisper in the princess’ ear. “Keep playing.” She listens as the princess goes on, one of her favorites, fingers rolling over the keys with flawless execution. “Don’t stop.” Yuxin takes her time, undoing the laces that she had done up in the morning, a leisurely pace, that she is sure is infuriating the princess from the way Keran’s shoulders dip inwards, the way stray notes are starting to occur, Yuxin’s well-practiced ear for this piece able to pick out the princess playing offkey. The top half of the princess’ dress is loosened by the time Keran reaches the end, Yuxin able to slip about two fingers width into the bodice, brushing up against the small of the princess’ back, feeling Keran’s shiver run through her fingertips, kissing at the spot in the middle at the back between the plane of Keran’s shoulders. The princess doesn’t say anything, letting her slip the top down, her arms folding in to let them slide out of the sleeves, exquisitely cut with sparse ruffles at the elbows for this dress, and Yuxin’s chest twinges, never tired of the first glimpse exposing the princess’ shoulders. Keran makes a motion to stand, presumably to finish what Yuxin had started, the top of the princess’ dress falling down to gather at her hips, her skirts still pristinely arranged, feet resting over the piano’s foot pedals. But Yuxin stops the princess, hands firm on Keran’s shoulders, keeping her seated. “I didn’t say to stop.”

Yuxin disregards the princess’ protests. “Sometimes, Princess, even princesses should not get their way all the time. And you’ve been far too impish lately.” She pecks the princess on her left cheek. “Don’t worry, you’ll still get what you want in the end, it’ll just take a little bit longer to get there.” The whine escapes Keran out of reflex, and Yuxin chuckles as the princess half turns her head to pout at her. “The more disobedient you are, the longer I’ll take.” Her voice drops lower, dripping with poisoned honey. “Mmm, you may continue practicing, Princess.”

The music starts up again, another familiar tune, one that the princess plays often for guests, light and airy while showing off moderate technique, just enough to be impressive when visitors come but not difficult enough that Keran would ever make a misstep in front of anyone. Yuxin breathes out slowly. Time to change that. Keran’s mouth opens in surprise, the little gasp escaping, and Yuxin groans, fingers running over the princess’ tongue, Keran sucking spiritedly, quickly slicking her digits with spit, and strokes the princess’ cheek with her thumb as she experimentally pushes her three fingers in deeper, a choking whine in the back of Keran’s throat. Yuxin has never quite understood Keran’s fascination with her fingers, as the princess’ fingers are much more charming Yuxin thinks, but the princess had never missed the chance to brush kisses across her knuckles as Yuxin would read to her by the fireplace or to lick whipped cream from her fingertips as they were baking. And Yuxin deliberately dawdles, hearing Keran’s whines gradually getting louder as she lets her fingers drag, halfway out of her mouth before shoving them back in. A few more times before Yuxin is satisfied.

Yuxin admires the way the princess’ back arches, the curve of Keran’s slim upper body narrowing down to her delicate waist, the hollow of her lower back Yuxin’s favorite place to dig her knuckles into, the princess’ breasts pushing against her cupped palms, Yuxin roughly fondling one side, spit-slicked finger tantalizing at the opposite breast, teasing Keran’s nipple into a hardened peak, thumb smearing in small circular motions before rolling and pinching. Yuxin resists the urge to abandon her high ground, the thought of latching her mouth to the princess’ chest until Keran falls apart into a needy mess very appealing and eliciting her own arousal, the uncomfortable stickiness between her legs already beginning to form, and instead Yuxin chides the princess, a few notes in disarray. “Princess, I thought you’d be able to play this even in your sleep. Mayhaps I was wrong.” Keran shudders as she speaks, and Yuxin gives the princess the attention she wants, popping her fingers back in Keran’s mouth periodically to gather more gobs of saliva to smear over the princess’ chest, Keran whimpering each time she does, quivering as Yuxin plays with her breasts. And Yuxin can tell the princess is speeding up, fingers running frantically over the piano keys at breakneck speed, louder and louder, Keran urging on the end of the song, barely able to keep up the pretense. “Princess, you’re doing such a great job.” Yuxin murmurs the praise into Keran’s ear as she plays, feeling the princess quivering in her hands, sharp whines from her lips.

The last note is hammered down hard by the princess’ fingers, and Yuxin waits as it fades away, the echo tapering out, the sound of Keran lightly panting taking its place. “Princess.” A pause. “Stand up, Keran.” It’s a few moments before Keran responds, Yuxin waiting patiently, but the princess does, slightly shaky, Yuxin’s hands over her waist to keep her steady as she rises. The rest of the princess’ gown plunges to the ground, gathering in a bundled circle around the princess’ feet, Yuxin having done a sufficient job in loosening all the bows, ribbons, and buttons in the back of the dress. And Yuxin slides her hands further, past Keran’s waist, down to her slim hips, squeezing inwards with one hand to turn the princess. “Turn around, Princess.” The princess does, inquisitiveness quirking her lips into a faint smile. “Have a seat.” Yuxin pats the piano bench, smiling sanguinely. Keran does, facing her, still with uncertainty on her face. And Yuxin takes a seat next to the princess, sitting properly, back straight and upright like a rod, facing towards the piano, her legs fitting underneath the instrument, her feet grazing the foot pedals, the opposite direction of the princess. Keran raises an eyebrow at her, bracing her arm on the seat, intending to swing her legs around the side of the bench to mirror Yuxin’s position, as if they are about to play a duet, but Yuxin stops the princess, hand on Keran’s thigh. “No, Princess, you stay there.”

Yuxin keeps her gaze even with Keran’s as she runs her thumb over the princess’ lower lip, digging in the slightest bit, just so she can feel Keran’s teeth, a small flick of the princess’ tongue, her fingers splayed over Keran’s cheek. And Keran whines when she finally does put her fingers back in, the princess’ mouth falling open, her eyes fluttering closed, and Yuxin remembers why she loves watching Keran’s face each time she satisfies the princess, the needy expression on Keran’s face addicting to see, going to her head, between her legs, etched over her skin. Yuxin lets herself the indulgence of just watching, not one she takes often, as the princess slicks her fingers hungrily.

“Part your legs, Princess.”

Keran squirms, the heels of her hands digging into the leather of the piano bench, giving Yuxin a hopeless look before complying, the reason becoming clear as the princess opens them, the wetness over her inner thighs already, Yuxin able to see the princess’ arousal. Hmm, maybe the extra spit isn’t necessary, Yuxin hums, keeping her surprise in. Keran is practically dripping already. A few swipes, and the princess is already breathing heavier, the sound of the princess’ ragged modest pants only interrupted by squelching as Yuxin runs her fingers over Keran’s folds, the princess mewling as Yuxin circles her clit, fingers gently teasing, the princess already sensitive, throbbing.

Cacophony.

The first finger is unexpected, and Yuxin is cautious even though she’s fairly certain that the princess can take more with how wet Keran is, and as she suspects, it slides in easily, hesitantly to the second joint first, Yuxin thankful that she had clipped her nails yesterday, and when she’s sure there’s little to no resistance, down to her knuckles, hooking her finger inside Keran, well-practiced and with ease. What Yuxin doesn’t anticipate is the princess reacting, Keran leaning backwards, curving her lithe upper body, searching for purchase somewhere, her arms spreading out like wings, elbows landing first, the mess of keys sounding ugly to the ears, unlike the usual prettiness the princess manages to draw out. Yuxin can’t say it doesn’t delight her, the princess shifting as Yuxin drags out slowly before thrusting her finger back in, dissonant chords echoing in the drawing room as Keran moves over the keys, palm, forearms, elbows, and Yuxin appreciates the way the princess’ head is thrown back, Keran’s hair falling messily over her forehead, her throat gulping. Yuxin presses her lips to the princess’ throat, Keran’s skin hot and slightly damp, flushed, drifting to the side to suck lovebites into the princess’ collarbones, hopefully ones that will fade quickly, Yuxin careful not to leave behind bluish-purple marks. The second finger slides in relatively easily too, the princess clenching around her fingers, sucking her in eagerly, and Yuxin slowly works them in, a steady and deliberate pace, savoring the way she can feel Keran tighten around her, body pulled taut with exertion. The princess whimpers as Yuxin trials scissoring her fingers open slightly, ultimately not greatly successful, though Yuxin enjoys the princess’ heightened arousal, her chest heaving, eyes half-closed.

“Mm- Yuxin-“ Keran’s eyes fly open as Yuxin’s fingers find the right place, brushing over the bundle of nerves, the princess’ legs closing reflexively, knees turning inwards, and Yuxin angling her fingers properly to aim at the same place, pushing in insistently, ignoring the princess’ squirms, making increasingly more and more jarring noises, notes drowning out the sound of Keran’s loud moans. And Yuxin is grateful almost for the distraction, her fingers pumping in effortlessly now, relentless, Yuxin determined to finish, with the princess letting out little whines each time Yuxin manages to reach the right spot, renewed vigor as Yuxin ducks her head down, tongue swiping over Keran’s chest. “C-close-“ The princess looks somewhat tired, the effort of keeping herself in an unnatural position starting to wear thin, legs trembling. And Yuxin finally feels the coiling of Keran’s muscles, the princess bearing down, the threat of an impending orgasm pushing on her fingers, the princess quaking, banging notes crescendoing as Keran gets closer. Yuxin doesn’t stop thrusting her fingers in, persisting though Keran seems on the verge of tears, struggling to form words, and Yuxin twists slightly, bringing her other hand around to keep the princess from falling off the bench, firm on Keran’s waist. Keran’s eyes are bright and shiny when she looks at Yuxin, and the princess shudders as she drags her fingers out deliberately, the sound of them popping out audible now that the princess has stopped moving, quiet in her aftermath. Her fingers are slicked, and Yuxin laughs at the sniffle of embarrassment the princess makes, Keran’s face deepening into a blush, as she spreads her fingers, forming thin stringy bridges between her digits before bringing them up to her mouth, slipping them in down to the knuckle and giving a loud suck, watching as the color rises in the princess’ cheeks, tips of her ears pinkening in accompaniment.

“Exquisite.”

Yuxin presses a hard quick kiss to the princess’ lips, cupping Keran’s chin. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done this…here.” She looks pointedly downwards, making the princess flush even more. “But maybe-“ Yuxin raises one eyebrow suggestively. “-we can continue this in the bedroom, perhaps?” A pause. “After we clean up of course.” Keran pulls herself up to her full height, rather wobbly, but standing nevertheless. “Of course.” The princess bites her lower lip. “Would you mind helping me with my dress?” The princess sits quietly as Yuxin works, getting most of the princess’ undergarments on quite quickly, fingers nimble lacing up the back of her dress, and Keran stops her as she reaches for the rest of the princess’ gown. “Leave it for now. I am dressed well-enough for a quick return back to my chambers. No one would venture here regardless, knowing I’m not to be disturbed while I play.” Yuxin gives the princess a curt nod, gathering up Keran’s gown in her arms as best she can, seemingly an endless amount of fabric. “Yes, Princess.”

Yuxin follows the princess, trailing behind her towards the doors, barely able to see over the pile of clothing, just the back of the princess’ head visible. Keran unlocks the doors, the turning loud in the large room, and Yuxin steps out, intending to tell the princess to walk faster, but the princess pulls up short, and Yuxin knocks into her, feeling the princess stumble forwards, thankfully with no follow-up resounding thump indicating that Keran has lost her balance. “What are you doing here?” The princess sounds dumbfounded, and Yuxin peeks around the load she is carrying at the clattering, the sound of someone rising, and Yuxin sees the new maid Lin Fan, hands wringing at the front from uncomfortable embarrassment, her face growing pink. “I- I was supposed to clean the d-drawing room this afternoon.” A fumbling pause. “And I h-heard all the noises and the door was locked and I thought it best to wait.” Lin Fan’s eyes dart between the princess and Yuxin nervously, voice tapering off at the end, uncertainty in her gaze. “I see.” Yuxin wonders what face the princess is making, her words having an air of reserved finality in it. There’s a few moments of heavy silence, Lin Fan looking more and more nervous the longer they stand there, princess unmoving. Finally, the tension in the air is cracked by the princess’ laugh, low and throaty, amused. “Yuxin, please instruct Lin Fan in what she should do next. And meet me in my chambers in ten minutes at the latest. Please be on time.” Skipping away gleefully and without remorse, leaving Yuxin all alone in the precarious position of having to explain to Lin Fan exactly how she should go about cleaning, her words stumbling over each other as she speaks, the maid too proper to say anything else about the matter though she averts her gaze the entire time in Yuxin’s presence, the embarrassment lasting a good week and a half later.

It takes a lot of coaxing under the bedcovers for Yuxin to let go of her ire, but she does.

Spring weather finally comes around, flowers on the precipice of sprouting, birds resuming their chirping ways, sky becoming less overcast during the day with just the smallest hint of sunlight peeking through, and the princess’ mood grows cheerier, picking up greatly compared to the winter months. It is warm enough to throw open the doors to her balcony, and Keran does so with unrestrained pleasure, letting the afternoon sun wash over them as they read stories back and forth to one another. Yuxin can tell the princess is itching to go back outside, longing gazes towards the windows during her lessons betraying her, and it doesn’t happen for a small while, the past week having rained nearly every day, the ground soggy to the point that the dirt paths leading away from the palace are wiped out, unable to be seen clearly. On the eleventh day, the princess has had enough, spending the entire morning digging through various closets to find two pairs of serviceable boots, the princess drawing the line at using her riding boots. The pair Keran hands to her are a bit snug, but not overly pinching, and Yuxin dons them happily to accompany outside, the weather lightening up into more of a drizzle, the princess putting down the umbrella as she realizes it isn’t an outright downpour.

She spends exactly three minutes squelching through mud with the princess before Keran decides that life shouldn’t be boring, turns around, and pushes her right into the mud, the princess falling on top of her, laughing. They spend half an hour ruining all their clothing and laughing about it, traipsing through as much mud as they possibly can before they return to the palace, where this time the princess does get a strong scolding, hanging her head shamefully and shouldering the brunt of the blame, before they run off to take a bath, taking far longer than normal, the mud caked to the princess’ body. It takes more than one wash, and by the end, it is not a bath insomuch as the two of them lounging in a pool of deflating bubbles. Yuxin doesn’t even mind when she is tasked with the impossible – spending an entire afternoon attempting to rub the mud out of the princess’ dress, giving up halfway, the gown plainly beyond all saving.

Lord Cai comes calling again, and there is another flurry of preparation, another afternoon for Yuxin to be assigned to menial tasks, though the princess is much more pleased after this visit than his previous ones, eyes lit with excitement, even as the lord looks on worriedly. Yuxin does not hear the reason why until later, her mind wandering as the princess and Lord Cai conduct idle chit-chat throughout his stay.

The horse’s name is Bramble.

She’s a bay horse, coat a dark smooth chocolate-y brown, fading into a darker brown-black around her hooves and mane, tail and mane a midnight black, a snowy white mark running the length of her forehead down to her muzzle, a real beauty. And Yuxin watches as the princess excitedly reunites with her steed the first day, whispering words of love to her, the horse returning the affection, nuzzling her muzzle into Keran’s cheek. It takes a week before Bramble’s arrival to prepare the stables, a stable hand added to their small staff, and the princess is adamant on overseeing all the arrangements personally, with Yuxin lending a hand wherever she can, admittedly not very familiar with horses. She had only seen a horse a few times in the entirety of her life, and she had never seen someone riding one. And it is with great trepidation that Yuxin reluctantly agrees to accompany the princess the first day she goes riding, not sure she is courageous enough to get as close to Bramble as Keran desires.

Yuxin knows she’s staring when she first sees the princess, Keran’s riding britches a toffee-brown to match her attractively cut riding jacket, the official seal emblazoned over the left breast pocket, her white, clean and free from wrinkles collared top tucked into the waistband of her pants, black belt cinched around her slim waist, standing tall in her black leather riding boots. But it’s the way the princess’ pants are hugging her legs, tight, fitted, and made to cling to every aspect of Keran’s body, that is making Yuxin’s throat dry with nerves, and it doesn’t help matters when the princess gives her a little pout, all shimmering eyes, knowing smile, and glowing visage. “How do I look, Yuxin?”

She clears her throat, words still coming out strained. “Perfect, Princess.”

“Mmm. We must get you fitted for an outfit too, the next time we are in town perhaps, as I would like to teach you to ride also.” Keran frowns. “Though it may be some time before that can happen. We’ve been getting so much rain lately, I don’t believe the roads have been cleared yet.” The princess gazes wistfully outside. “Luckily, the skies have decided to look kindly upon us and string together a few days without rain or else the ground would be too wet to ride.” A pause. “And even then, mayhaps only a trot if a canter can’t be achieved.” The princess pulls out her leather riding gloves from her pockets, a pretty bark brown to pair with her pants and jacket, slipping them over her fingers, regal. “But I suppose for now, you can just watch.”

Yuxin follows the princess out to the stables and then the field a ways away, trying to act as if she isn’t staring at the princess’ ass as she does, imagining the princess naked in the bathtub, the view of Keran’s behind slippery and wet, only the tiniest visible as the princess leans over the side of the tub to speak with her, back hollowed, an elegant slope leading from her shoulders down to her waist, hips. Keran’s voice tears her from her thoughts, lilting and carefree. “Yuxin, would you mind giving me a hand?” Bramble is tapping at the ground impatiently with her front hooves, throwing her head back and neighing, the princess with one hand on the reins, the other gloved hand held out for her. Yuxin gives the princess a leg up, making sure that Keran keeps her balance as the princess swings a leg over to mount her horse, the princess straightening up once she’s upright. “Thank you.” Yuxin watches as Keran takes off, Bramble starting at a walk before the princess urges her into a trot with her knees, leaning forward in the saddle, at perfect ease as Yuxin observes them making rounds in the field. As the princess reaches the far side, all Yuxin can see is Keran’s hair, bouncing in rhythm each time the horse strikes the ground. And it’s only as the princess comes closer, Bramble nearing her side of the fence, that Yuxin truly appreciates the absolute power and grace the princess possesses, wonderfully balanced, almost as if she’s floating above the ground on her horse, Bramble airy and light-footed, the princess with her head ducked down somewhat, elated and unreserved, facing forwards, always forward as she rounds the turn.

She watches the princess for the good part of an hour, riding round in circles, going everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

The princess brushes Bramble’s mane evenly and methodically, tugging out the wind-whipped knots carefully, stroking her horse along its neck, Yuxin sitting with her back up against the opposite wall, drifting thoughts, her gaze sliding down to rest on Keran’s ass once again, down her legs, the backs of her knees, a little saddened that the princess’ boots hide her sinewy toned calves, her delicate ankles that Yuxin sometimes likes to measure by seeing how close she can get her fingers to touch while encircling them. It’s a thankless endeavor, doing nothing to sate her earlier desires, only serving to remind her that she hasn’t touched the princess in a few days now, Keran being far too tired after spending her time working on setting up the stables, the arousal stirring between her legs the longer she stares, the thought of the princess on her horse somehow gratifying, setting her mind aflame. Tempting. The princess whines lightly when Yuxin wraps her in a hug from behind, her cheek pressed up against the top of the princess’ shoulder blades, lips meeting the base of Keran’s neck at the curve, nipping. “Yes, Yuxin?”

“Princess.” Her voice needling, suggestive fingers running down over the flat of the princess’ stomach, stroking the expanse right above the princess’ waistband, over her belt, slipping to the area between Keran’s legs. “Would you-“ Yuxin pauses, grappling to find the words, voice dropping to a whisper. “-like to ride me?” She feels the princess stiffen in her arms, and when the princess does not respond, she takes it as a sign to continue, dotting kisses to Keran’s skin. “Let me take care of you.” A pause. “You’ve been so tired as of late.”

Yuxin has the strangest feeling – that she has somehow been treated to a personal show that she’s not sure she deserves – lying back on the floor of the stable, head half cushioned from the hard floor by the ample amount of hay gathered up against the wall. The princess is purposeful, fingers grasping at the belt first, pulling back the free end, the gold buckle slipping out of its hole, the princess jerking it out slowly, a continuous uneven motion. The boots come off next, thrown to the side in careless disarray, nothing like how neatly they are lined up at the palace, the princess’ calves coming into view, her pants cut just above the bony part on the outside of her ankles, feet bare against the ground, toes curled. The button comes undone easily, a simple pop! and the zipper soon follows before the princess hooks her thumbs in her front belt loops, the brown bands dark against the princess’ skin. Thighs, a fading love bite still visible on the princess’ right inner thigh, knees pinkened and bent, the princess kneeling down to free herself, one leg up like a flamingo, one of those large pink birds, ruffled feathers streaked with white, in one of the books Keran had shown her, so odd-looking that Yuxin nearly doesn’t believe it is a bird, gracefully balancing, leaving the princess in only her top, the bottom edge barely reaching past her hips.

“Panties too.”

The words are half-choked in her mouth, wrapped thick with embarrassment, but the princess looks much more ashamed, the color rising in her cheeks, mottled pink over her cheekbones, but she hooks her thumbs into her underwear, and they fall begrudgingly to her feet. Yuxin crooks her finger and beckons the princess, Keran walking towards her with tiny steps, one foot in front of the other, heel-to-toe, heel-to-toe, a tad wobbly. Keran collapses on top of her, straddling her, thighs spread over her chest, knees digging under her arms. The princess yelps when Yuxin cups her hands underneath Keran’s thighs, the princess’ skin smooth against her palms, pulling her forwards, the princess falling towards her, hands coming up to brace herself against the wall. “W-wait, Yuxin-“ But Yuxin has a strong grip, and the princess is dragged towards her anyways, four fingers at her inner thighs, parting Keran’s legs more.

Keran gasps as Yuxin licks a trail up her inner thigh, the princess’ skin warm against her tongue, slightly salty with sweat, and Keran squirms above her, her hold on the princess’ legs difficult to keep. And her mouth reaches the princess’ pussy, open-mouthed and yearning, nose bumping against the princess’ folds, Keran clutching at the wall above, fingertips digging into the wood, Yuxin’s name falling from her lips in clipped pants. Her tongue presses into the princess, slicking her folds, savoring the dripping slick quickly forming, thumbs pushing into the shallow dips on either side of the princess’ inner thighs, Keran’s legs already starting to tremble. “Y-Yuxin.” Hands come up to grab at the princess’ chest, Keran’s whines growing loud as Yuxin roams over the princess’ breasts, roughly squeezing over the soft fabric, the princess’ top still buttoned up to almost the level of her collarbones, chest swelling against Yuxin’s hands each time Keran takes staggering breaths. “Y-Yuxin.” She hums, lips vibrating against the princess’ holds, eliciting a particularly sharp gasp, tongue busily working. Yuxin doesn’t know whether the princess hears her, but she supposes Keran does understand the half-garbled ‘ride me’ because the next instant the princess is grinding down insistently.

And Yuxin lets her, lets Keran desperately writhe against her mouth, tongue, hips moving in short, calculated strokes, back and forth, back and forth, Keran stealing her breath away, all her concentration focused on pleasuring the princess. Wet. Yuxin does the best she can to lap up everything the princess gives her, a tortured moan escaping from Keran each time Yuxin enthusiastically pushes her tongue shallowly into the princess’ hole, tasting her at the source, Keran rocking her hips angling downwards for more. But the princess is creating slick far faster than Yuxin can keep up with, and she can feel the excess on her face, chin, the princess haphazard in her execution, too focused on chasing her own high. Yuxin groans as the princess reaches down with one hand, fingers in her hair, pulling with insistence, voice faint. “P-please.” And the princess is close, Yuxin can feel it in the way Keran is pulsating against her tongue, her thighs shaking. “P-please.” The frustration is evident in the princess’ cries as she continues moving over Yuxin’s mouth, and the bolt of arousal runs through her when Keran hangs her head downwards, the welled-up tears shiny in the princess’ eyes, one streaking down her cheek, Keran’s mouth hanging open pitifully. And Yuxin can tell the princess is losing it, each time coming close but then slowing down too soon. “P-please, Yuxin.” She does her best to block out the princess, not that Keran is making much sense anyways, the princess’ words muddled and half-formed, her hands at the backs of the princess’ knees, mildly damp from her efforts, repositioning Keran for better access, her mouth over the princess’ swollen clit, sucking at and flicking it with her tongue. And the princess finally comes with a sob, all tension falling out of her body as she does, and Yuxin keeps a hard grip on Keran’s waist to keep the princess upright, maneuvering the best that she can so the princess can finish, Keran whimpering as she tries to continue rolling her hips weakly against Yuxin’s face, hands pressed to the wall behind them. It takes more than a few minutes for Yuxin to clean the princess up, licking what she can from between Keran’s legs, the princess’ inner thighs, her fingers gathering the remaining slick in the princess’ folds, spreading apart to see the princess’ creamy white strings forming little bridges between her digits before tasting. And it takes her a few more minutes to wipe the rest of the princess’ stickiness from her face as Keran straddles her, patiently sitting on Yuxin’s stomach.

“Here, let me.” Yuxin reaches out and motions at the princess, tugging at the corner of the princess’ riding jacket with her thumb and index finger, and Keran lets her slip it off, one sleeve at a time, laying it flat down beside her, trying to smooth it down to cover as much area as possible. She pats at the spot, and nods at the princess who follows suit and sits down gingerly, leaning back on her elbows, torso half twisted to look at her. Yuxin takes a moment to appreciate, her gaze trailing over the princess’ body, from her ankles to her calves, knees, thighs, exposed, Keran’s top offering little modesty, Yuxin able to see between the princess’ legs in this position, and some time in the middle of their romp, a few buttons had come loose, the front dipping down to expose the skin of the princess’ chest, past her breasts. Keran’s skin is still flushed with a rosy pink glow, dewy skin, and Yuxin watches the slight rise and fall of the princess’ chest as Keran breathes, somewhat panting even now, the opening of her top shifting each time the princess inhales and exhales. The princess is so beautiful all laid out so open, vulnerable, Yuxin can hardly stand it, and she can feel the urge itching across her skin, in her fingers and her mouth, to ravish the princess again. Perhaps more than once.

Yuxin strokes the princess’ thigh mindlessly as they talk, Keran entertaining her with tales of her younger self, more than half of them sprouting from times the princess had managed to get herself in trouble of some sort, nearly all of them ending with her somehow escaping punishment. Clearly not much has changed, Yuxin thinks wryly. There’s the story of how the princess had rescued a mongrel from the side of the road one day on an outing, carrying it all the way back to the palace, accidentally letting it free in the kitchen, the staff spending a good part of an hour chasing him down, his little paws tracking mud all through the rooms, pawprints on all the floors. Yuxin believes it wholeheartedly, can imagine a smaller version of the princess wreaking havoc by introducing a stray pup, herself having stopped the princess from doing so more than once in the time of her stay thus far. Mm. Keran doesn’t react as she sets her mind on teasing the princess, at least not in her expression, Yuxin’s hand traveling further and further up Keran’s leg slowly, settling about a hand’s width away from where her fingers really want to be, buried inside the princess’ warm heat. But Yuxin can see the princess tensing, her abdominal muscles from underneath her shirt, the way Keran’s waist moves in an almost unnoticeable squirm, only detectable as Yuxin is looking for it, the princess’ legs turning slightly inward, knees coming together, close enough that she could put the heel of her hand on the far edge of one and reach the other with the tips of her fingers. And Yuxin lets herself think about how dashing Keran had looked in her full riding outfit – the tight fitting breeches, her riding boots black and polished, the shortened riding jacket, the bottom ending at the top of the princess’ waist, her leather gloves shiny and clinging to her sophisticated fingers.

The unbidden moan is drawn out as Yuxin brushes lightly over the princess’ clit with her thumb.

“Yuxin.”

There’s a tone of warning that Yuxin doesn’t heed, too interested in watching the princess’ face, eyelashes fluttering, lips cherry red, mouth falling open, the barest glimpse of the princess’ tongue visible. Her gaze slides downwards, the hint of the princess’ gloves sticking out from under Keran from her jacket pocket, and Yuxin takes them without much thought, the leather smooth and soft, pliable and well-worn from years of use. They fit better than Yuxin had imagined they would – a little tight around the palm, loose at the fingertips, improved if she tugs them a tad more. The princess watches her, hawk-eyed, as she clenches and unclenches her fist, feeling the give in the material before Yuxin brings her hand up to the princess’ face, cradling Keran’s face, her thumb running over the princess’ cheek, the princess trembling and leaning into her touch. Over, back, and forth. And then over the princess’ bottom lip, thumb slipping into Keran’s mouth at the corner, the top ridge of her teeth, the brown leather shiny with the princess’ spit.

“Keran.”

Yuxin doesn’t know what she’s expecting when she first touches the princess, but Keran always excites, and this is no different, the princess looking at her with a heady breathlessness as Yuxin slides her hand up the princess’ thigh, glove dark in contrast against Keran’s skin, the color of roasted chestnuts on their shiny white dinner plates at Christmas time. And the princess’ eyes are affixed to hers, pupils so wide that her eyes appear almost entirely jet-black, coals simmering with a barely hidden arousal, reinforced as Yuxin glides her fingers over the surface of the princess’ folds, coming away wet. “Do you like this?” Yuxin doesn’t think she’ll receive an answer, not really, but when she does, she feels a throbbing start in her core, her body’s sickly sweet response to the princess, to Keran, and Yuxin thinks for the thousandth time that she’s lucky that she settled at the palace beside the princess. Fuck me. Yuxin wonders if she’s just imagining the words coming from the princess or whether she really hears them, the sound of her own heartbeat rattling in her chest drowning out everything else. It’s funny, not being able to feel the Keran’s slickness over her skin, covering her fingers, as Yuxin delves into the princess’ folds, two fingers between her legs slowly playing with her, but it’s worth it to see the princess dissolve into quivering limbs, heaving breaths, and a wavering gaze, eyes unsure of whether they want to be open or closed, the princess’ elbows falling to the wayside, hands clutching at the ground to her sides, hay already threading its way into the princess’ hair as she squirms. Yuxin waits until Keran’s pants are coming in short bursts, her gloved fingers wet and slippery, easily sliding over one another, the leather darkened with the princess’ slick, and the princess whimpers as she pushes the first finger in, choked up sob in the back of her throat, Keran’s eyes screwed tight, the princess’ back arching slightly up off the ground, the action giving the princess’ waist an even more accentuated slope.

“Y-Yuxin.”

It’s excruciatingly slow, Yuxin careful not to possibly hurt the princess, a new and unexplored sensation, pushing in a bit at a time, Keran making it difficult, clenching hard around her finger. And Yuxin is about to stop, only halfway in, worried as the princess is not making a sound, but when she does, Keran pins her down with a sudden stare, eyes glassy and pleading, mouth open like a rosebud, words like dewdrops trembling on her lips. Please, don’t stop. Yuxin doesn’t realize she’s holding her breath until the princess’ look makes her exhale, the air deflating from her lungs, nearly biting her tongue in her haze of concentration. The princess gasps as Yuxin does, inserting her finger all the way down to the base, head filled with thoughts of what the princess is feeling, her gloved finger somewhat thicker compared to without, the sleekness of leather pressing up inside against the princess’ walls, and Keran grows louder as Yuxin fingers the princess until she’s consumed by nothing else besides the princess’ cries. The second finger is tight, impossibly so, Yuxin knows it in the way the princess just about sobs as she tries, and hesitation seizes her. Please, don’t stop. The princess repeats it again, the pleas deafening in the small stable, and it’s only now that Yuxin thinks to hush her, remembering exactly where they’re situated, and the penchant of the stable hand to check up on the princess’ horse in the afternoon. Please, don’t stop. Yuxin hisses Keran’s name again, the solution crossing her mind, evident as she glances around, handing the other glove to the princess, Keran nodding her assent as Yuxin talks. Bite down. And everything becomes muffled, Yuxin ducking down her head to suck at the princess’ clit, Keran trembling beneath her, the princess’ muscles tensing, working her tongue around the nub until she’s satisfied, her finger slipping into the princess easily, before Yuxin pushes in the second, still tight, flush up against Keran, the princess’ soft mewls still managing to slip out of her mouth.

The princess finishes quickly as Yuxin fills her, thrusts rather clumsy but full, imprecise compared to Yuxin’s usual deftness with her fingers, rubbing at the princess’ clit in little circles with her other hand, slicked with spit, the feeble tremors of the princess’ second orgasm running through her body. Yuxin’s fingers come out slowly, dragging out to the sound of Keran whimpering as the princess squirms, sensitive, hips wriggling, making an obscene noise as Yuxin watches, wiping the princess’ gloves clean over Keran’s inner thighs. The princess looks ethereal Yuxin decides, hair mussed with bits of hay sticking out, legs coming up into a tuck, eyes blinking at Yuxin unfocusedly in her aftermath, and Yuxin wonders how she should get the princess back safely to the palace without a scene of utter embarrassment, Keran looking worn-out with a hint of sleepiness, eyelids heavy. “Princess, let’s get you back.” And Yuxin patiently helps the princess get dressed, slipping off her own pair of looser, less form-fitting pants for Keran to wear, grimacing as she pulls on the princess’ riding britches, the length far too long for her, Yuxin needing to roll up the ends one or two times to attain a satisfactory cuff. “Princess, do you want walk or be carried?” Yuxin is amused, Keran forming a half pout, blowing air into her cheeks, in response, and Yuxin knows she needn’t have asked. It is a tad unwieldy, the princess being taller than her by a bit, her hands cradled underneath the princess’ thighs, Keran holding her riding boots in her hands, arms wrapped over her shoulders, face pressed into the crook of Yuxin’s neck. But Yuxin makes it back, sight unseen, sneaking the princess through the oft unused servant’s entrance, all the way up to the princess’ room, changing Keran into her shift, cleaning the princess off swiftly with a wet washcloth, the princess mumbling for Yuxin to join her in bed. An afternoon nap, a luxury they haven’t taken in a while, the sunlight streaming in from the windows warming Yuxin’s back as she drifts off to a dreamless sleep beside the princess.

It ends up being a surprise, somewhat unintended with its timing.

Yuxin walks into the kitchen, searching for the princess, having spent some time helping the stable hand down at the stables, and finding the princess had left her spot at the piano when she returns, only to see Keran half-covered in flour, some white spotting her hair, the long sleeves of her gown rolled up to her elbows, a whisk in one hand, the other holding a mixing bowl. The princess is disappointed at first, plainly written all over her face, when she spots Yuxin, attempting to hide what she is doing. “It’s a cake.” Keran looks at her shyly, a light blush painting her cheeks. “For you.”

Yuxin laughs. “What for?”

“Your birthday, Yuxin.”

Yuxin doesn’t remember the last time she had celebrated her birthday, with cake or any other type of fanfare, and it takes her a few moments to count the days in her head, to realize that today is indeed her birthday. She responds dumbfoundedly. “How did you know?” Simply, the princess had found out from Yuxin’s mother, Keran sending back news every so often by way of a messenger to Yuxin’s home, the last visit the messenger bringing back a few things that her mother had wanted the princess to give to her. A thin chain, a ring strung through, and Yuxin tears up as Keran hands it to her, dropping it in her outstretched palm, the band familiar, one her mother had worn often. It takes a few hours and two tries, but the princess succeeds in making Yuxin a cake for her birthday, elegantly put together, Keran’s previously failed attempts paying off – three layers tall, a soft fluffy vanilla bean, two coats of fresh buttercream in between, topped with fruit that is leftover after the tarts are made. Yuxin has never had a cake so luxurious before, nor any of the attention for her birthday that she’s sure the princess is accustomed to, Keran’s most recent one quite grand by Yuxin’s standards, a full feast laid out for the princess’ dinner, a weeklong event leading up to the day as gifts made their way to the palace, piled into the sitting room until the princess opened them one by one on her birthday. They eat the cake after dinner, the princess cutting her a slice out the size of her fist, Yuxin savoring each bite as much as she can, sugary sweet in her mouth, the princess daintily eating a small spoonful at a time across from her, tongue licking the spoon clean in measured strokes. And afterwards, they take to bed together, the princess eating her out until she’s shaking and can’t stop.

Yuxin thinks it may be the happiest day of her life.

The weather grows ever warmer as they roll into May, and the princess spends more time outside with Bramble, gathering flowers in the field on walks with Yuxin, and they even venture into town once – getting Yuxin fitted for a riding outfit in an afternoon, the princess silver-tongued and lying that Yuxin is a visiting friend, staying with her for the upcoming summer months. Lord Cai calls on them again, once or twice, bringing with him news from the palace as well as some other tiny favors, a few pieces for the princess to adorn, some desserts and other foods for the princess to experience. Yuxin has progressed enough that she can read through most of the simpler stories in the princess’ library with no additional help, and sometimes she holes away by herself in a room as the princess has her lessons, getting lost in other worlds. There’s less time for boredom, too many things for the princess to do and show Yuxin, delighted in her fancies.

Today, Lord Cai is here again, this time in a much less jovial mood, his expression serious as he leans over, elbows on his knees, voice somber. He had not spoken a word since he had arrived, not even his usual greeting, carelessly slinging his outercoat on to one of the chairs in the sitting room, foot tapping against the floor nervously as soon as he sits. “The Count wants to meet with you, Keran.” Yuxin notices the brief flash of alarm that flickers across the princess’ face from across the room before Keran composes herself, picking up her teacup to take another sip. “What does the Count want to speak with me about?” Lord Cai doesn’t respond for a few moments, choosing instead to take another bite of his food. “I’m not sure.” The rest of the visit passes, and the princess gives Lord Cai a response to convey to the count, a date a few weeks away, the lord giving the princess some reassurance as he leaves, promising to also be in attendance. Keran is petulant when he leaves, and Yuxin spends an entire afternoon and night placating her, teasing a smile back on to the princess’ face, stealing her breath away with kisses. For the next week, Yuxin leaves the palace early in the morning, barely light outside, Yuxin squinting to see the dirt paths on her way out, gathering a bouquet of fresh flowers to have by the princess’ bedside when she wakes up each day, a sleepy smile gracing Keran’s face as the sun peeks over the horizon.

The day comes sooner than expected, the staff bustling in the kitchen earlier than usual, a disorganized frenzy, the dinner the first social calling since winter had passed, visitors having greatly slowed throughout the colder months, and only Lord Cai having come as the weather warmed. Lin Fan is sent off to clean the rooms, scurrying away as the cook barks at her, and Yuxin is told to assist in order for the place to look as spick and span as possible. And so she spends her time helping Lin Fan, amused as the other girl’s head is filled with so many whimsical thoughts that it’s hard for Yuxin to grasp, and Yuxin is in the middle of listening to Lin Fan describe an idea for a puppet show, something or other involving cats and dogs, when she’s pulled away, the princess coming to fetch her. It’s with the utmost mirth that she finally provides the princess a means of escape, Lin Fan unfortunately cornering the princess with her overflowing words, Keran far too polite to excuse herself from the conversation, leaving it up to Yuxin instead. But she isn’t the least bit sorry that she lets the princess stew in abject embarrassment for a few moments longer as Lin Fan talks her ear off, Keran’s eyes darting around the room looking for a way out.

The gown is new – given by Lord Cai the last time the princess had entertained him for afternoon tea – one of five he had at his disposal, handmade by one of the dressmakers he knows, an old friend, and Yuxin has to admit that it is by far one of the most beautiful things the princess owns. Also, one of the most difficult to put on, requiring Yuxin to set aside extra time before dinner to help the princess get dressed. It’s an interesting color, not many of the princess’ dresses so heavily wrought with black, albeit it could be easily mistaken for a deep dark blue if Yuxin hadn’t seen it in an afternoon light at first glimpse, paired with areas of white at its base though the dark obsidian black details, lacy flowers and vines etched in with the utmost care overtake most of the bodice, trailing off as Yuxin tightens it downwards. And the material in the skirts is layered heavily, more layers than Yuxin can count on her fingers, in a peculiar way that almost gives off the feeling of there being feathers when there are none, as if the princess could fly away at any moment. A perfect ensemble for a nighttime dinner hosting. She no longer has to think about lacing the princess up, her fingers so comfortable that Yuxin need not look either, and it’s almost mindless, the ease in which Yuxin prepares the princess. Keran is characteristically more talkative at these moments of Yuxin getting her ready, a time in which its just the two of them and Yuxin has the freedom to listen best, letting the princess’ words wash over her as she works, but the princess is silent today throughout. Nerves, perhaps. Yuxin doesn’t question it, too busy running over the list of tasks given to her by the other staff instead, at the last minute remembering that the cook had wanted her to run down to the cellar and retrieve the wine before the count arrives.

It takes Yuxin an hour to dress the princess, and she finishes it off by affixing a hair clip in the princess’ hair, a narrow, long, thin rectangle, mottled white and black in an nondescript pattern, one end inlaid with a black pearl, the size of a pea. The princess twirls for her when she’s done, spinning slowly for Yuxin to admire, the show finally managing to pull a smile to Keran’s lips, the princess laughing as she pretends to critique the outfit in a faux posh accent. And after she’s satisfied that the princess is comfortable, the tension flowing out of her shoulders, Yuxin scurries back to the kitchen to help the cook, putting finishing touches on dishes, setting the table with Lin Fan, greeting Lord Cai at the door when he arrives early as agreed upon, the princess making idle chitchat with the lord as they wait for the main event of the night. Yuxin wonders what the count will be like, whether he’ll be handsome or kind, if he’ll be one of the guests that can make the princess laugh or whether he’ll be a complete bore, leaving Yuxin to miss several parts of conversation out of boredom, perhaps someone that will dazzle them with tales from abroad.

From the first half an hour, it becomes apparent that none of Yuxin’s guesses are on the mark, a tense energy settling over their dinner party like a dark shroud, heavily weighing the air with a quality of unease. It’s hard for her tease apart why, the conversation is going well enough, the count asking all the questions befitting of a first meeting – the princess’s studies, interests, favorite literature, other hobbies – but Yuxin can’t help by notice the way all of Keran’s responses sound guarded? clipped? Yuxin’s not sure, but she’s not the only one who feels it either, Lord Cai also looking skittish as if he can’t quite figure out whether he wants to stay or leave, both him and the princess flanking the count on either side, who’s sitting at the head of the table. Yuxin tries to give the princess some comfort each time she approaches the table, hand on the small of the princess’ back shoulder, lightly and quick so the count doesn’t notice, but Keran is lost tonight in whatever is plaguing her thoughts, barely noticing Yuxin’s presence in the way the princess normally does, none of her small finger taps against the table in acknowledgment, always three taps, two with the index, followed by one with the middle. The count himself is unassuming, not quite as tall as Lord Cai, nor as handsome, and an unfortunately dull conversationalist, with many of their talks stalling as the count takes an obvious disinterest in what the princess has to say next. It makes Yuxin’s anger simmer under her skin, but by now, she is well-practiced at holding her tongue, choosing instead to think about better things to distract herself.

They make it through dessert with only two lulls in conversation, and Yuxin follows as the three make their way to the sitting room, the princess settling her skirts to sit at the piano bench, the two men settling in their seats to listen. The familiar notes flow from the princess’ fingers, the room filling with music, the princess’ shoulders relaxed and rolling forwards. A few songs, and both Lord Cai and the count give Keran polite applause for her talents, the princess dipping her head deferentially to accept the praise before taking a seat across from the two men. More talking that Yuxin doesn’t register, and it’s only the loud clatter of a teacup being set a tad too firmly down on its saucer that draws her attention back. “Excuse me?” The princess sounds affronted, and Yuxin struggles to pick up the conversation once again, having missed the previous question. And she sees the princess’ face tighten with displeasure as the count repeats his question unknowingly, not realizing that the princess’ response was not an invitation for him to continue. “Your hair would look even more beautiful if it were longer. It’s such a shame you’ve been keeping it short.” Yuxin holds her breath, the longest silence she has ever experienced while they’ve had guests, searching the princess’ face with her gaze, Keran’s expression having gone eerily blank. “No, thank you.” The lord somehow manages to steer the talk to another topic, and Yuxin lets out a little sigh of relief that the count doesn’t press further, though she can see the princess hasn’t let the comment go, an innate dislike of being told what to do clear in Keran’s rigid rim rod straight back. And Yuxin thinks that they will have gotten through the evening relatively unscathed, the night winding down to its end, when the count decides to prove her wrong.

“So Princess, I’d like to talk about marriage.”

This time it isn’t just a clatter, and Yuxin quickly grabs a rag, walking forward and kneeling down to wipe up the mess, picking up the pieces of the shattered teacup that Lord Cai had let slip from his grasp, wrapping them up. No one speaks as Yuxin cleans up, trying to be as fast as possible, the silence stretching on uncomfortably, too many questioning thoughts running through her head, a twisted swooping feeling in her gut. It isn’t until Yuxin returns to her spot, backing away from the three of them, that the princess speaks. “And what marriage might you be talking about?” The count’s words are slow and measured. “I came calling today with the understanding that this was the beginning of a courtship.”

“Then we clearly do not have the same understanding.” The princess’ tone is chilled cold, Keran taking another sip from her cup, calm despite the outlandish situation that she finds herself in. “I have no intention of entertaining the idea of marriage with you. And you’ll be sorely disappointed if that was the sole purpose to your visit today.”

The outrage follows, naturally, a warning bite in the count’s voice. “It would be in your best interests to entertain the idea, Princess. It may be your only option to leave this place.” A few moments of nothingness. “I don’t believe it’s your place to tell me what ideas I should or should not take into account.” A pause, the princess sipping from her teacup. “As my rank and station is above yours, Count.” The count looks at the princess disdainfully, mask of politeness slipping, and Yuxin clenches her fists by her side, barely holding back the urge to run up to the count and wipe the expression off his face with force when he responds. “If illegitimacy counts.” Lord Cai isn’t as kind as the princess is, who doesn’t deign to give a proper reaction, and the count suddenly finds himself pulled to his feet, the lord having a steady grip on his arm, annoyance in his features. “You’ll not insult the princess in her own home. And you shall now take leave of your own accord before you have to be escorted out in a less stately manner.” It is not a graceful exit, the count fumbling to gather his things as Yuxin looks on gleefully, not apologetic in swinging the door shut behind him. And Lord Cai spends time speaking with the princess in hushed tones after the count leaves, none of which Yuxin hears in full, her ears not attuned enough to pick up their quiet murmurs. But he does leave them with friendly parting words, sweeping his arm across his waist, ducking down into a slight bow. “Princess, please send word if necessary, do not hesitate to ask if you need.”

“Thank you, Lord Cai.” The princess smiles back faintly at the lord’s serious expression. “You have my gratitude.”

The mood is somber as Yuxin helps clean up, the others in the palace feeling it too, news of the night spreading like wildfire throughout the rest of the staff after the princess retires to her chambers, whispers under everyone’s breath that disappear like smoke as soon as Yuxin gets too close, a grudging unwillingness to divulge lest it gets back to the princess, and Yuxin understands, her position with the princess unique from the rest. Lin Fan is the only one willing to air what has been left unsaid, her demeanor as cheerful as ever. “That didn’t go well, now did it.” No, it had not, and Yuxin finishes up anxiously, hoping that the princess had not been too affected, knowing that Keran is probably waiting upstairs for Yuxin to draw her bath after a tiring day. When Yuxin finds her, the princess is sitting on the edge of her bed still in her gown, her hands clasped in her lap, looking out the windows at the sky already almost fully dark, back to the door. Keran doesn’t speak as Yuxin undoes her gown, shedding each layer for Yuxin to put away as the princess bathes, silent even as Yuxin rubs the princess’ shoulders, soapy hands slipping over Keran’s smooth skin. She leaves to start a fire, the princess often sitting by it to dry her hair and read some before bed, letting the princess towel herself off and change into her bedtime shift alone.

The princess doesn’t read tonight, instead just staring into the fireplace at the flickering flames as Yuxin sits on the edge of the bed in her nightgown, ready for sleep, her eyes threatening to close. It’s a long day, exhausting in fact, Yuxin having been up since before dawn to help prepare. She wonders if Keran is still upset, the anger from earlier in the evening the first outburst Yuxin has seen from the princess in a long while, Keran generally able to keep her composure in every situation. And maybe Yuxin shouldn’t ask, the feeling that perhaps she would be overstepping her bounds with the princess, toeing a line that shouldn’t be crossed, but Yuxin can’t stop herself, the princess’ side profile sad and heartbreaking in the dim light, half hidden in shadows. “Princess.” Her voice imbued with a questioning lilt. “Yuxin.” The princess doesn’t turn to look at her until she outright asks, soft and apologetic. “Do you want to talk about it?” The princess is avoidant, giving a noncommittal response, and Yuxin hopes that she isn’t pushing too hard, the need to take away the princess’ sadness thrumming through her veins. “The marriage.”

A long quiet.

“It won’t happen.” And Yuxin feels the alarm rising up in her chest, the back of the princess’ hand coming up to wipe at her cheek, the tears from the side of Keran’s face that is hidden from Yuxin’s view, a loud sniffle coming from the princess. Yuxin is at a loss, not sure whether she should acknowledge it, the princess’ dislike of showing apparent weakness running strong, excusing herself whenever tears do flow, unwilling to let anyone see. Keran repeats the statement, resolute, as if repeating will ground it in reality. “It won’t happen.”

Hesitant. “What did Lord Cai say?”

The princess’ words are laced with a heavy sorrow, choked up in the back of her throat. “To keep my sincere strength and continue to do what I feel is best.” A pause. “Even if times might be difficult.”

“Princess.”

“I don’t wish to speak of it any longer.”

There’s a defiant set to the princess’ shoulders, her voice iced with finality, a mix of melancholy and regret, but Yuxin tries again anyways, the desire to ease the tension from the princess’ body burning her to the core. “I said, I don’t want to discuss it, Yuxin.” And any further words are stolen away from Yuxin, the princess’ lips suddenly moving over hers, open-mouthed and sloppy and salty, tears still tracking down Keran’s cheeks, the weight of the princess in her lap, Yuxin’s hands subconsciously settling on the princess’ waist, holding on to her tightly as if she’ll fall apart at any moment. “Princess.” She manages to get a word in as the princess kisses her, but Keran shakes her head, hands cupping Yuxin’s face, fierce. “No more.” And Yuxin lets the princess lick her way into her mouth, lets Keran devour her completely until Yuxin can’t feel any more tears on the princess’ cheeks under the pads of her fingertips though they still cling to Keran’s eyelashes, thick and dewy. The princess doesn’t say anything when she stops, breathing a sigh over Yuxin’s lips before blinking owlishly, the room only half-lit by moonlight, the fireplace almost down to its last embers, and Keran just stares at Yuxin, eyes studying her face as if trying to memorize every detail. She resists the longing to kiss the sadness from the princess’ face, keeping still instead. And when she finally does speak, Yuxin keeps her voice low and soft, nervous that anything she says will scare the princess off, make Keran run away and keep running without nary a look back. “What do you want, Princess?”

“What can you give me?”

“Anything.”

Yuxin can’t make out the princess’ expression exactly, Keran with no intention of responding, rearranging herself without a word, and Yuxin’s breath hitches, the princess’ forearms resting on her shoulders, the feeling of the princess on her bare skin, with Keran’s shift hiked up to her hips, the princess straddling her thigh, legs pressed together. And Yuxin shivers with a throbbing need, a groan escaping, as the princess continues to stare her straight down, the princess grinding down into her thigh as she moves, warm against Yuxin’s skin, leaving behind a streak of wetness. The princess’ gaze doesn’t waver, silent except for her mouth, half-open, tiny pants rolling rhythmically off her tongue as Keran starts riding her thigh, and Yuxin holds her breath, hands sneaking underneath the princess’ shift to grasp at Keran’s waist, encircling it, thumbs rubbing circles into the princess’ skin, watching as the princess’ eyes glaze over with a heady arousal. And Yuxin doesn’t help, lets the princess do as she pleases, Keran moving insistently back and forth, head thrown back with abandon, and the pants gradually turn into needy whines, the princess grabbing at her upper arm with one hand, squeezing, eyelashes aflutter, a soundless plea. The princess doesn’t wait for her to make a move, grip around Yuxin’s wrist, hand dragging slowly up to reach the princess’ chest, and Yuxin responds in kind, cupping at Keran’s breast, squeezing, the princess gasping as Yuxin pinches her nipple, teasing it into a hardened peak. And the princess keeps going, picking up the pace, slicked wet enough that she’s gliding easily along Yuxin’s thigh, rocking her hips in motion, relentless. Yuxin brings her other hand upwards, fondling both Keran’s breasts, the princess digging her nails into Yuxin’s skin.

And Yuxin lets the princess writhe in her lap, back arching as Keran chases her own high, asking for more silently, eyes dark and pleading, desperation wracking her lithe body. The princess’ night shift is buttoned up all the way, too high for Yuxin’s liking, and there’s some fumbling on her part, fingers struggling with the buttons, and Yuxin curses as the delicately wrought detailing falls apart under her efforts instead, the snapped off button hitting the ground with a blunted ping, exposing the princess’ collarbones, the hollow at the base of Keran’s throat trembling. The urge to mark Keran stirs the arousal in her belly, as it does each time she sees the princess’ collarbones, or her hipbones, the want to suck in pinks and reds and purples over the wide expanse of the princess’ ivory skin. So she settles for pressing warm kisses, dipping her tongue over the ridges of Keran’s collarbones, gently painting the princess’ skin with a light easily faded pink. More buttons are sent flying, Yuxin too hasty, the princess nearing her peak, the dip in her nightgown deepening, falling open to reveal the princess’ chest, Keran’s nipples dusky dark and perky. The princess keens as Yuxin licks a stripe down to Keran’s breast, swirling her tongue over the princess’ nipple, the tiny bud supple in her mouth. And the princess doesn’t stop, whimpers high-pitched and breathing ragged, tip of Yuxin’s tongue flicking over Keran’s nipple, her hand massaging the princess’ other breath, continuing her ministrations, hardened nub pliant under her thumb.

Yuxin groans, her muscles beginning to grow sore, her hips locked tightly in place, her thighs tense and solid to support the princess’ weight, a shakiness sure to overcome her soon if the princess does not finish in a matter of due time. And there’s an almost lewd touch to it – Keran wanton neediness in grinding down on to her as she rocks back and forth, the feeling of the princess’ inner thighs pressing in against her, the slick that she can feel coating her thigh, sure to leave behind the princess’ scent when it dries – and Yuxin can feel the princess quivering harder each time she drags over Yuxin particularly well. Fuck. Yuxin doesn’t want to give out before the princess does, and she feels the princess’ hands in her hair, tugging as Yuxin nips at her breast, followed by a hard suck, leaving marks on Keran’s chest, one hand clutching at the princess’ waist to help steady her, the other sneaking downwards. Yuxin inwardly curses, the angle awkward, her fingers clumsy and fumbling, but she manages anyways, the princess letting out a guttural moan as Yuxin brushes over her clit. Yuxin feels it in her fingers first as the princess comes, the trembling running through her fingertips, the princess falling forward to support herself, chin resting on Yuxin’s shoulder, face pressed into her neck, legs going slack, the princess no longer pressing her thighs together. And Keran whimpers slightly as Yuxin moves, shifting her legs, rubbing up against the princess still sensitive. But Yuxin lets herself fall backwards to lie on the bed anyways, the princess sprawled out on top of her, letting Keran breathe slow and measured into her chest.

It’s a while before they move and crawl under the covers searching for sleep, and it’s an even longer time before sleep finds Yuxin, wide awake watching the princess’ eyes close, Keran looking peaceful in the moonlight dancing over her features. Yuxin whispers it, the ache in her chest as she fills her lungs with the air the princess breathes. “I love you, Keran.” The princess doesn’t respond, already fast asleep, chest moving in and out with even breaths, but uttering the words aloud makes Yuxin burn nevertheless.

Yuxin is finally taught how to ride a horse. Taught in its loosest terms, rather, although the princess is a proficient rider herself, it turns out that doesn’t mean she has a strong affinity for showing others how to accomplish the same. Yuxin swears to Keran that the princess should be so lucky she’s even willing to come close to Bramble, half-assured that the princess’ horse despises her, perhaps jealous of the competition for the princess’ affection, the horse giving her quite the look each time Yuxin steps into the stable. Their first afternoon is only made a success after the stable hand, out of pure curiosity and amusement, assists them, clearly tired of sitting by the side and having a good laugh at Yuxin’s expense. So it is with much effort that Yuxin finally mounts Bramble and manages a slow walk, too nervous to try anything much faster, the princess walking alongside her as she circles the wide green expanse, complaining all the while that there’s no point in riding unless she were to go fast. And afterwards, the princess sends the stable hand away with a flick of her wrist as Yuxin wonders whether they should have more shame, the boy winking as he leaves with a jaunty wave, clearly privy to the fact that there’s another reason it takes the princess and her an hour to return to the palace than just making sure Bramble is well taken care of. Likely found out through the grapevine of talk that runs through the entire household staff. But the momentary embarrassment is worth the thrill, though Yuxin does admit that picking the hay out of the princess’ hair each time is a maddening task. Within a few weeks, Yuxin has tempted the princess’ horse with enough sugar cubes to sate her and is confident enough to break out into a trot without assistance to Keran’s great satisfaction. It brings a happy glow to the princess’ face, and for that, Yuxin finds the horse riding to be worth it.

It starts to feel more like spring, enough so that their readings are held on the princess’ balcony, the doors thrown open to let in the outside, the sight of fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across the azure blue sky making the princess laugh with delight. And Yuxin indulges the princess when she asks, doing the readings pompously, caution thrown to the wind, hands swept in the air, as if she’s giving a speech for the whole land from the balcony, Keran clapping and giggling along each time Yuxin sounds especially ridiculous. The princess continues her studies with a renewed vigor, the promise of other more enjoyable activities in her spare time driving her forward. And with the princess being more cheery, the mood in the household is lifted as well, Yuxin even hearing the grouchy head cook singing a tune in the kitchen once in a while. Lord Cai continues to call on them, bringing his usual gifts as well as fresh flowers when he remembers, and the palace is suddenly filled with the scent of spring. He brings the news of a new birth, a baby boy, and the princess sends him back weighed down with the appropriate gifts. At some point, her mother’s ring makes its way on to the princess’ finger, the spot around her neck oddly empty the first week or two, the hole in her chest filled each time Yuxin sees the band on the princess. The staff collectively decide to do spring cleaning all at once, and Yuxin spends a day with Lin Fan scrubbing at floors and dusting off furniture. And to Yuxin’s mortification, the princess joins in on the venture, changing her clothes and rolling up her sleeves, adamant no matter how long Yuxin spends trying to convince her otherwise, declaring a silly oath of solidarity, the rest of the staff looking on in amusement.

The princess shows her to a nearby river, more of a stream really, that is hidden in the woods a walk away, a spot Keran had discovered three summers ago after having gotten lost, a lucky coincidence that she had stumbled upon the place. And they spend an afternoon wading into the water, not quite reaching their knees, watching the fish swim by their ankles, small ones no bigger than Yuxin’s palm, water clear as crystal, Yuxin laughing as the princess reaches in and tries to catch one, thankfully not succeeding. It’s a good time until the princess decides to give her a mild shove, one not meant to do much but ends with Yuxin spluttering and on her behind in the middle of the stream, soaked through. And the princess has the gall to laugh at her, at least until Yuxin pulls Keran in with her, the two of them lying down to cloud watch in a grassy patch, their wet clothing laid out nicely to the side on heat-warmed rocks to dry, blanket Yuxin had so auspiciously remembered to bring pressed with the wet imprint of their backs. They go back another time with Lin Fan, the other girl insisting to the princess that she knows how to capture a fish, Keran doubtful but with peaked interest, and that night they have a feast of freshly caught fish to eat.

They decide to clear out the garden in the back, and it takes them a whole afternoon just to tear up all the weeds by their roots, the princess paying no mind as she kneels in the dirt, a few of the plants still salvageable. Another trip into town, and the area looks much improved, the princess purchasing some flowers to brighten up the plot, as well as some bulbs, planted in anticipation for bloom next spring. Keran is forgetful, and more often than not, Yuxin finds herself as the one to water the plants on days they have no rain, keeping a watchful eye. More days with good weather persist, and Yuxin has her first picnic with the princess, the basket swinging from her arm, heavily laden with food the cook had so graciously packed for them in advance, filled with cheeses, crackers, and fruit. The hill takes them about half an hour to conquer, the sun beating down relentlessly, and they spend hours there as payment, the princess begging Yuxin to stay until night falls, the sun going down painting the horizon with fiery reds and oranges. They make it back to the palace late, avoiding a scolding by sneaking through the side entrance.

It’s a life that is made up of new experiences, one with the princess, and Yuxin finds herself growing more and more into the idea, planning out their days and what they may do together as spring bleeds into summer.

The heat comes earlier than usual as if chastised into doing so to make up for the late spring, hitting them like the waves of high tide crashing on to the shore, a sudden switch that has the entire household running to throw open windows in hopes of catching a faint breeze. With the stifling heat comes an unwillingness to complete tasks, the sluggish day lulling Yuxin into a false sense of security, finding that her day-to-day chores are unusually long, more mundane than before, needing to rush towards nightfall to finish. It isn’t just her that is affected though, even the princess finding it difficult to focus on her studies and other pursuits, instead choosing to sit at but not play the piano in the sitting room, her cheek pressed against the surface coolness, or lounging on her bed atop the covers, dressed in nothing but her flimsy shift, a welcome distraction at best, a few wasted hours on Yuxin’s part at worst. More time is spent outside, down at the stream, in the afternoons, the princess taking the initiative to jump in and cool off, each time beckoning for Yuxin to follow suit. Sometimes it’s the two of them, a few times they bring Lin Fan along. Strawberries appear on their dinner table again, rosy red and ripe, juicy as Yuxin and the princess bite into them, the fruit smearing Keran’s lips a deep red, sweetness gathered at the corners of her mouth for Yuxin to taste. And as for readings, the princess finds that there’s just enough sunlight through the entrance of the stables, the two of them able to spend their time in the small space, sitting cross-legged on the floor, their backs pressed up against the wood of the walls that carve out a makeshift sanctuary.

It’s coming back from one of their early afternoon swims, Yuxin laughing as the princess makes faces at her, that they find the messenger waiting at the door, the boy quickly getting up when the princess appears at the entrance, dipping into a bow, Keran sobering up immediately as he hands her the letter. Yuxin follows the princess back to her chambers, where Keran immediately collapses into her seat at her desk, wordlessly motioning at Yuxin to hand her the letter opener, the sound of the seal coming unstuck, the princess scanning the contents of the letter quickly, eyebrows drawn together closer and more severely as she reads further. Keran doesn’t say anything as she finishes, folding the letter back over and placing it on the desk, sitting motionless as if lost in thought for a few moments, gazing out the windows. “Princess?” No response, the princess retrieving a sheet of paper from her desk drawer, beginning to pen a response instead. “Yuxin, tell the stable boy to come see me.” The princess makes a tutting noise with her tongue when Yuxin makes no move to leave the room. “Now, please.” It takes Yuxin a bit of searching before finding the stable hand, the poor boy scurrying off to meet with the princess like a bolt of lightning when she conveys the message, and Yuxin makes her way to the kitchen afterwards, her stomach protesting, the two of them having skipped lunch in favor of their outing, intent on scrounging up some food for the princess as well as herself. And she’s only just done with bothering the cook to put together some food, grumpy from Yuxin cajoling her into starting preparations for dinner earlier than expected, when the princess sweeps into the room, straightforward and unreserved, giving the cook a curt nod. “It’s happening.”

There’s only three people in the kitchen besides Yuxin and the princess, the other two staff besides the cook really only there to dawdle, and it’s as if suddenly all of them are spurred into motion, everyone flying out of the room in an instant, leaving Yuxin alone with the princess. “Yuxin, please go pack your things in your suitcase.” Keran’s hand on her back is firm, and Yuxin knows better than to ask questions when the princess’ face is set the way it is, the stubborn curve in her lips, eyes leaving no room for discussion. Yuxin expects the princess to be on her tail, yet when she gets to her quarters, Keran is no where to be seen, but Yuxin packs anyways, carefully folding each set of clothing to take up the least amount of space within her traveling suitcase. Even with the princess’ purchases for her, her belongings still manage to fit in the suitcase, with the addition of one more bag that she slings over her shoulder. And Yuxin wanders, the suitcase a tad more lumber some than she anticipates, a shot of surprise running through her as she realizes that there is a gathering at the entrance, and upon quickly counting heads, Yuxin confirms that the entirety of the household staff is milling about in the foyer. The princess arrives last to complete their small party, numbering under twenty, and when she does, Keran gives a slow nod, Yuxin confused as everyone begins to move as if part of some choreographed dance that only Yuxin doesn’t know the steps, even Lin Fan hurrying out the door along with the rest.

And Yuxin is about to ask, but the princess speaks before she can utter a word. “Yuxin, listen carefully.” The princess’ tone is low and urgent, gloved fingers reaching for Yuxin’s available hand, brushing open her clenched fist, placing a letter in her open hand, sealed at the back simply with a dab of red wax, the front adorned with her name. “Do not read this until we arrive, make sure that no one sees. You must be alone, do you understand? Yuxin.” The princess pauses for her response, a harried nod all Yuxin can muster, the confusion seemingly apparent across her features. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand when you open it.” Keran continues, words hurried. “I’ve already sent word ahead to Lord Cai by way of the stable hand, and I’ve informed the rest of the staff. You will join everyone else at Lord Cai’s home when the time comes.” The princess bites her lower lip, nervous. “I’m not entirely sure whether Lord Cai will be able to take everyone in, but perhaps Lord Zhu also-“ A pause. “But never mind. Just please follow the stable hand when we meet up with him as he has gone ahead as the messenger, everything should be taken care of.”

“But Princess, what about your things?” Yuxin looks around, bewildered, as she notices the entrance is empty of the princess’ possessions, a stark contrast to the rest of the household who seem to have brought all their worldly possessions with them. The princess hesitates a few moments before responding. “Don’t pay any mind to my things, Yuxin. They’ll be sent for later.” The words sound hollow and distant in Keran’s mouth. “But where are we going?”

“The palace, Yuxin. We are to visit the palace, the grand one.” Keran holds out her hand for Yuxin to take, and she does, the letter tucked safely into her bag, her fingers intertwined with the princess’, the feeling of lace on her skin, Keran grasping on to her tightly.

It’s a scorching hot day when the news arrives to Lord Cai’s residence, two days too late for a proper goodbye, and Yuxin is down by the stables tending to Bramble when Lin Fan comes running to meet her, face red with streaked tears.

Yuxin is just 20 when she loses her princess.

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a small note: Keran taught Yuxin how to read in anticipation of her inevitable death, and the letter was penned in the winter months. 😭 Wanted to put that out there...have lots of other headcanons and tiny details that are too much to include in end notes.
> 
> Comments, kudos, and feedback are always appreciated!
> 
> Twitter: [@loststickienote](https://twitter.com/loststickienote)  
> CC: [@loststickienote](https://curiouscat.me/loststickienote)


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